Dylan Shiel’s addition to Essendon makes Bombers a dangerous team, writes Mark Robinson
ESSENDON has pulled off a stunning coup and didn’t have to sell the farm to entice Dylan Shiel. MARK ROBINSON writes the midfielder will give the Bombers a new look — but who will make way for his arrival?
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ESSENDON sold its journey to Dylan Shiel and didn’t have to sell the bank to do it.
Their offer to the departing GWS playmaker was understood to be short of the $1.2-$1.3 million a season said to be on offer from St Kilda and Carlton.
It’s a stunning coup by list manager Adrian Dodoro, who has delivered to the club best and fairest winner Devon Smith, Adam Saad and Jake Stringer in the past 18 months.
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One player doesn’t make a team which finished out of the eight one season an automatic premiership fancy the next season, but it continues the building blocks Dodoro is putting in place.
For example, who would you prefer on a wing, Travis Colyer or Shiel?
No disrespect to Colyer, who has been linked to a trade move, but Shiel is a fair upgrade.
He is, after all, just 25 and an All Australian.
Still, the expectation on the Bombers in 2019 will be sky high.
They will get best and fairest winner Joe Daniher back in the forward line, Cale Hooker, Aaron Francis and Michael Hurley will hold up the defence, and in between have a bevy of hard-running, mid-sized players.
From pocket to pocket, one half of Essendon’s team will read Saad, McKenna, Shiel, Stringer, Fantasia.
The other half will be McGrath, Francis, Zaharakis, Smith, McDonald-Tipungwuti.
Another hard-nosed midfielder to aid skipper Dyson Heppell, Zac Merrett, Darcy Parish, Kyle Langford and David Myers will be next on the recruiting list.
In anyone’s assessment, it looms as a potentially dangerous team.
Exactly how Shiel gets to the Bombers remains to be seen, but GWS signalled their intent to make it happen.
“Dylan has been a big part of this club for a number of years and we have been having mature and honest conversations, particularly considering he will enter free agency at the end of next year,” the Giants’ statement read.
“The Giants are prepared to discuss potential trade options with the Bombers that sees an appropriate return for the club.”
Could a possible trade involving Colyer and possibly a first-round pick be enough?
Time will tell.
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