New Kangaroo Aiden Bonar met Essendon before deciding North Melbourne was best fit
Aiden Bonar is eyeing greater opportunity at North Melbourne after struggling to break into the GWS Giants team. But had it not been for a meeting with Rhyce Shaw, he might have been a Bomber.
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Aiden Bonar knew it was time to come home.
Starved of opportunity at the talent-laden GWS Giants, the former first round draft pick told manager Robbie D’Orazio midway through the year he wanted to be wearing different colours in 2020.
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“I was speaking to my manager during the year, and obviously they were a very hard team to break into at the Giants,” he said.
“I just thought the best thing for my career was to come home to Victoria.
“Just to be back with my family first of all I saw it as a good opportunity here at North Melbourne.
“I think I can really grow and develop here.”
Essendon and Hawthorn expressed interest, and he went as far as meeting with the Bombers.
Bonar instead decided on North Melbourne as his new home after a positive coffee meeting with Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw at a North Melbourne cafe.
Although, it took until late on the final day of the trade period for the deal to be struck.
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After playing just six games in two years at the Giants, Bonar is hungry for senior games and is targeting a Round 1 club debut in 2020.
“It’s been really good and all the boys have been really welcoming to me,” Bonar said.
“Obviously I want to play AFL at the highest level and that’s probably why I chased the opportunity to come down here.
“Everyone has really high standards here, so it is just going along with the group and trying to put my hand up for Round 1.”
Bonar has moved in with good mate and former teammate Dandeong Stingrays teammate Luke Davies-Uniacke, and the two carpool across the river to Arden St together from their shared Elwood house.
“You just have to leave before 7am along Beach Road (to beat the traffic),” he laughed.
Bonar admitted to a sense of awe at his new club with its 150-year history coming from a club that played its first AFL game just seven years ago.
“When you look at all the numbers and all the guys before you, you can just see how deep the history is here,” Bonar said.
“With the Giants it’s a bit different with them just starting up, but here you look back at all the lads that have played before them.
“It makes you really want to strive to put your name forward in that jumper and play as many games as you can at the club.”
The 20-year-old has been in full training this pre-season and said he hasn’t “missed a beat” so far this summer.
“I’ve been training with the mids the past couple of weeks,” he said.
“I’ll probably dip into the forwards soon to try out that multi role.”
Bonar said it was exciting to see his now former club make the grand final this year, despite playing only two games himself in 2019.
“Everyone is really good mates up there and it was really good to see them get into the Grand Final,” he said.
“Obviously it wasn’t the result we wanted at the time, but I wish the Giants all the best next year.”
