Elijah Tsatas opens up on his early time at Essendon and his biggest takeaways from pre-season

Joel Selwood retired at the conclusion of the 2022 season as one of the most successful players ever. So what was his advice to this year’s crop of rookies just starting out?

Elijah Tsatas after being picked up by the Bombers on draft night. Picture: Michael Klein

Sam Weideman and Will Setterfield were hardly the headline names of the trade period.

But Essendon’s bargain recruits are helping the club’s newest posterboy, No.5 draft pick Elijah Tsatas, settle into his first AFL pre-season.

Weideman lives near the Burwood boy and they carpool to Tullamarine together.

“He’s a wealth of knowledge, he’s been in the system for a while now,” Tsatas said of the man he sits next to for the 40-minute journey.

“He’s a great man as well.”

At training it is Setterfield’s midfield craft which is helping improve the teenager.

Under midfield coach Daniel Giansiracusa and development coaches Brent Stanton and Ben Jacobs there has been a focus on stoppage work.

“We do lots of craft stuff as an inside midfielder, just trying to learn heaps of that,” Tsatas said.

“At stoppages is the main thing and working with guys like Will Setterfield, who has really good mid craft.”

Tsatas is the man the Bombers rejected multiple trade offers of as many as three first-round picks to take.

Clubs including the Western Bulldogs wanted to hurtle up the draft order to grab the junior hurdler who once made a national 100m final.

Elijah Tsatas is loving life at the Bombers. Picture: Michael Klein

Tsatas won Oakleigh Chargers’ best-and-fairest from just six games last year.

It was his fourth junior best-and-fairest and plenty of peers thought he was the pick of the talent pool.

Draftees Matthew Jefferson (Melbourne), Max Gruzewski (GWS), George Wardlaw (North Melbourne), Cameron McKenzie (Hawthorn) and Alwyn Davey Jr (Essendon) all said last year that Tsatas would’ve been their No.1 or No.2 choice.

The Bombers, who have long had an undersized midfield, liked Tsatas’ bigger size, power and speed.

They thought that was exactly what their engine room required, and they would love what they are seeing in 2023.

“I’ve definitely put on a few kilos in the gym, which is good,” Tsatas said.

Listed at 80kg on Essendon’s website, Tsatas said he now tips the scales at 85kg.

Tsatas has a nose for the Sherrin ¬ he averaged 33.8 disposals in the NAB League and had 29 in his only Vic Metro appearance.

Essendon fans who have followed Tsatas on Instagram might’ve noticed he also has a nose emoji in his bio. Why?

“The family,” Tsatas said.

“We’ve got Greek background so I get a bit of stick about my nose being big.”

Tsatas has checked in to the No.5 locker made famous by James Hird and is lapping up the intelligence around him.

“It’s a cool feeling,” he said.

Elijah Tsatas and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti wrestle at pre-season training. Picture: Michael Klein

“I feel really privileged to be in that position (No.5 locker) and I’m surrounded by some pretty good players in the lockers, which is awesome to pick their brains.”

Inside midfielders led by Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish have taken Tsatas under their wings because he is being groomed in that role.

Merrett has been a joy to train alongside. Asked who was sizzling in the summer, Tsatas said there was one standout you couldn’t go past.

“Zach Merrett. He’s super skilful and his years on the field just show at training,” he said.

“He’s got a wonderful left foot and he finds the footy and uses it so well. It’s very obvious as an onlooker. He’s a gun.”

Tsatas will have another familiar face at training next week when his Oakleigh Chargers ruckman Hudson O’Keeffe begins training at Tullamarine with one list spot up for grabs.

“Big ‘Huddo’, I played with him over the few years at Chargers, so super keen to welcome him into the fold,” he said.

There’s also been plenty of learning for the boy who will study commerce at Deakin University.

Tsatas spent Friday and Saturday at Marvel Stadium for the Player Leadership and Development Conference, which was a joint venture between the AFL Players’ Association and the AFL that combined the Induction Camp and AFLPA’s Directors and Delegates Conference.

“It was awesome,” Tsatas said.

“Obviously seeing everyone again was good, seeing all my mates from interstate was awesome.

Tsatas has admired the work of Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish. Picture: Michael Klein

“There were a couple of (Wesley) schoolboys there. Coby Burgiel was drafted to West Coast, so it was good to see him again.

“The AFLPA were awesome with all the education stuff we got to do. There were a lot of rotations and things and I got a lot out of it.

“Obviously there’s an extended amount of responsibility now that we play on AFL lists.

“So in that regard we were just learning all about the fineprint about gambling and sports betting and stuff like that.

“It was two pretty big days with a lot of information.”

Retired champion Joel Selwood spoke on Friday about life as a professional.

He told the draftees to be “CEO” of themselves and pointed out that some would have two-year careers and others would spend 16 years in the system.

Selwood’s message was to look to be respected more than liked when they settle in at their clubs.

Tsatas is learning to respect the defensive side of his game after averaging just 1.3 tackles in 2022 in what was the one knock on the knockout midfielder.

It seems everyone at Tullamarine is.

“We’re smashing that at Essendon. It’s been a massive focus for us, defence, so we’re continually developing that every day,” Tsatas said.

But the wow factor is Tsatas’ ability to power from the inside to the outside.

Recruiters thought there was a lot of Ryan Griffen in the way he played.

For Tsatas, who was born only weeks before Griffen was drafted, he sees himself more as a Chad Warner-type.

“I love watching him play,” Tsatas said.

“Definitely the power and the way he gets from inside the stoppage to outside as well.”

Essendon draftee ELIJAH TSATAS on the key learnings from the AFL Players’ Association’s Player Leadership Development Conference

GAMBLING

“Pretty much you’re not allowed to bet on any footy, which is understandable. Also there’s a tricky one with bet with mates – you shouldn’t be in those circles just in case anything footy-related comes up. It’s any AFL code, whether that’s AFLW or VFL you’ve just got to steer clear of.”

ANTI-DOPING

“You’ve got to talk to your dieticians at your club, that was the main one. Just to make sure all the protein powders you are consuming on a day-to-day basis are all batch-tested and are all ASADA-approved. Definitely just being on the same page as your dietician and making sure that the stuff you’re eating and the protein powder you’re having doesn’t have anything in it.”

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

“Obviously as young men we’re in that sort of position now where we’re growing up and consent and that sort of thing is a bigger topic of conversation now. They did a few pieces on that, which was awesome for us. Growing up we’ve learnt it a lot but to keep on developing in that space is good for all us draftees.”

CONCUSSION

“It was mostly just mining the facts and mining the protocols the AFL goes to, and it also acknowledged that they don’t know everything.”

VILIFICATION

“There were a few case studies and we listened to a few people talk about their experiences and what the AFL does to combat that. There was a guest speaker, an elder from the community around here, who had a few stories about Michael Long and Nicky Winmar as well.”

ILLICIT DRUGS

“Presenters came in and did a powerpoint surrounding how long certain drugs last in your system and how to say no and just being responsible and trying to make the right decisions in certain environments, whether you’re out with teammates or that sort of thing.

SOCIAL MEDIA

“It was touched on a little bit. Obviously we’re pretty good with it nowadays, we’ve grown up with it and we know there’s a different responsibility with us.”

Elijah Tsatas after being picked up by the Bombers on draft night. Picture: Michael Klein

BOMBERS STAR MOVING ON BUT GUILT OVER RUTTEN SACKING LINGERS

Jon Ralph

Essendon’s senior players couldn’t save Ben Rutten as they met president David Barham in the heated midweek confrontation days after the media executive took over the club.

But as those players arrived for their first week of official training in early December the fruits of the club’s review — and Barham’s commitment to them — were impossible to ignore.

As Crichton medallist Peter Wright said this week, there is still some guilt and heartache at the losses that led to Rutten being sacked for new coach Brad Scott.

And yet across the training track in those early sessions the flood of coaches that greeted them were as clear a sign of Essendon’s changes as Scott’s presence.

Barham had promised the young list he would beef-up the development team and properly resource the footy department.

Bombers best and fairest Peter Wright still has some lingering guilt and heartache at his coach Ben Rutten being sacked. Photo by Michael Klein

And the six full-timers now on staff – up from just two full-timers and a part-timer — were proof of that commitment.

For Wright one of those new faces could help take his game to even greater heights given his expertise and status as one of his boyhood heroes in Travis Cloke.

“One of the pleasing things is it’s not just Brad (Scott) who has come on board. It’s a number of other coaches too. Ben Jacobs, Brent Stanton has come on full time. Travis Cloke. Dan McPherson in football. So it’s more of a well-resourced football department,” Wright said.

“It felt at times last year we had a number of people doing quite a few different jobs and David Barham said he wanted to put resources into the footy department and he’s been able to do that. Brad is the leader of that but it’s also the access we have to coaches.

“Just to have coaches for watching vision and individual edits but also at the end of training if you want to work on something individually there are plenty around. At times last year we did a lot of stuff in bigger groups so the coaches could service it. They did a hell of a job last year but they were outnumbered. So as a young group it’s pretty important and we will get some great growth out of that.”

Peter Wright won Essendon’s B&F in 2022 Picture: Facebook/Essendon FC

Wright had a career best season. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Cloke will be Essendon’s VFLW coach but also a specialist coach to fast-track the key position players.

How could high-marking Wright not benefit from his input by spending Tuesdays with Trav?

“He is doing a lot of craft stuff with us on Tuesdays. I am really looking forward to getting to know him better. Obviously I grew up a Collingwood supporter and I used to love watching Clokey go about his business. He was as good as there was for a few years,” Wright said.

“Especially with the contested marking side of the game. I want to pick his brain about how he goes about it. A lot of the technical side of things I have worked on for a number of years. I feel there is still a lot of growth there and I am looking forward to working with Clokey on that.”

New coach Scott is determined to back the strengths of individual players and not pigeonhole them into specific positions based on their previous history.

Essendon needed to change, but Wright will never forget what Rutten did for him when he was traded as a Gold Coast forward seemingly on the scrap-heap after an early Suns salary dump.

“Truck’ was huge for me, I have a lot of respect for the way he tried to coach me,” he said

“And I know I wouldn’t be where I am without him giving me opportunity.

“There were a few key moments throughout my first year at club, where he backed me in and was really clear with direction on where he saw my footy going.

“(His sacking) was obviously a tough few weeks for everyone involved with the footy club.

“We felt like we weren’t playing our best footy. We were working really hard through the week to play the way we wanted to play and we felt like we let ‘Truck’ down at times in the year with how we went out there and didn’t perform.

Brad Scott, new Bombers coach. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“So towards the back end of the year (it) was a bit stressful for a number of players and members of the coaching staff and it was a really disappointing end to the year.

“Footy is a pretty brutal industry and you have to move on pretty quickly, so I am enjoying having Brad on board.”

Essendon’s review made clear the players needed to be fitter and the club’s exit interview warning to the list was stark — we won’t be wasting pre-season getting fit.

It meant the players returned in elite shape ready to back up repeat sessions, even if Wright has never shirked the hard work.

He is proud to have rolled up his sleeves and worked even harder on his craft in his final season at Gold Coast and in a debut season at Essendon where he laid the groundwork for his Crichton Medal-winning year.

Peter Wright has put some difficult years at the Gold Coast behind him. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

That award was the culmination of three years’ work and a childhood dream.

“First and foremost it was hard work. Everyone thinks it happened over a year. I felt like I was making a lot of strong gains last year and to be honest the year before that at Gold Coast,” Wright said.

“I was able to make some good growth technically with my bodywork. As the year progressed the boys had more and more confidence in me kicking the ball. So it was hard work and opportunity and confidence but also the support from coaches.

“The (best-and-fairest) was an amazing night. I think somewhere that I always dreamt of being able to be in that position.

“At times while I always believed I could do it, it didn’t look like it would eventuate. Having seen the ups and downs of footy to get there, I accepted it with a lot of gratitude.

“ I can honestly say I wouldn’t have changed it. The hard years at Gold Coast, the 12-18 months I had there to help shape the way I am as a footballer and person.”

In the weeks that followed that achievement the players were criticised for heading overseas on a European footy trip, but Wright found the narrative confusing.

“You can’t just spend time together in the four walls of a footy club. That is not always the most fun at times so to get out and get to know each other out of that environment is really important and getting overseas is a part of that,” he said.

“It’s about experiencing things together. That shared experience is a good way to connect. I feel like a lot of negative media is what drives traffic through websites. It’s easy to criticise but I don’t think there was anything untoward with going overseas and enjoying some time together with our allocated time off.”

Peter Wright with Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti at Bombers training. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Essendon will soon ramp up talks with his manager Anthony McConville on a new deal past 2023 amid hopes he can be the long-term forward the club has sought for so long.

“Absolutely (I want to stay). I am very grateful for the club for the opportunity they have given me and excited for the future of the club,” he said.

And as for the long game?

The ambition is all about team gains and achieving them consistently like those great Essendon sides that have gone before the current incarnation.

“We are obviously chasing the ultimate success and hopefully that’s still ahead of us,” he said.

“I have played one final and hopefully we can chase a few more. I think you want to set your sights higher than just (breaking the finals-winning drought).

“I think that is more of an external thing spoken about than internally. We want to be a club that doesn’t just get to the finals and win a final, we want to play consistent quality football in finals and win consistently. The end goal isn’t to have a year where we win a final, it’s to be consistently pushing and winning premierships.”

Originally published as Elijah Tsatas opens up on his early time at Essendon and his biggest takeaways from pre-season