Essendon assistant coach Daniel Giansiracusa says veteran Dylan Shiel has “really embraced” his positional change this pre-season in a move that’ll further expose some of the club’s young talent.
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Shiel is approaching the 14th season of an AFL career, which in recent years has been particularly ravaged by injury. Across the past four seasons, Shiel has played just 48 of a possible 91 games for Essendon.
But the 32-year-old is set to begin 2025 in a new role after moving from the midfield to the backline during the summer.
And the early signs are promising, with Shiel on Saturday playing with confidence and poise across half-back in Essendon’s match simulation win over the Western Bulldogs.
Shiel pulled off some eye-catching moments of acceleration and drive out of the back half. But just as importantly, he held his own in defensive one-on-one contests, spoiling the ball on the last line of defence on multiple occasions.
“He’s been impressive,” Giansiracusa told reporters post-match.
“You never know when you move a guy to a different position what they’re going to do when you’re playing against yourselves … But he read the play really well playing on some dangerous forwards for the opposition and looked good in the one-on-one contests he was in.
“If he can do what he needs to do there – and we know what he can do in the midfield – and stay healthy, it gives us flexibility. That’s why we’ve gone down that path over the pre-season. The chemistry will continue to build with these guys and it means the opposition have to worry about someone else in a different position – and what that does for us is a real positive for us.”
Shiel’s move allowed the likes of first-round picks Elijah Tsatas and Ben Hobbs to spend more time on the ball against the Dogs. Tsatas was particularly strong at centre bounce clearance, consistently getting his hands on the footy first and feeding out to the likes of Hobbs, who racked up the disposals and found ample space.
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“You talk about Tsatas and Hobbs and these types of guys getting exposure to the midfield, playing Dylan in the midfield gives those guys different opportunities. You’re looking for win-wins everywhere,” Giansiracusa said.
“The positive thing is he (Shiel) has really embraced it and hopefully that continues to be a positive thing for us moving forward.”
With Sam Durham (ribs) and Darcy Parish (back) both sidelined, Tsatas and Hobbs attended the most centre bounces for Essendon alongside established on-baller Jye Caldwell, per the Herald Sun.
Giansiracusa said the Bombers “want to build a midfield that’s competitive and hard to get into”.
“There was a couple of guys on the sidelines we know are key parts to that, but those guys (Hobbs and Tsatas) did what they needed to do and showed us what they’ve got,” he said.
“We’re looking to building that competition from within as the season goes on.”
Elsewhere, there were positive signs in the forward line for Essendon, with Nate Caddy and Isaac Kako both a constant threat close to goal.
An electric player with elite goal sense and speed, Kako fills a small forward chasm at the Bombers, while mobile forward Caddy has significantly improved his aerobic capacity to compliment his breathtaking ability in the air.
Kako at last year’s draft combine told foxfooty.com.au about his tight bond with fellow Parade College graduate Caddy, saying: “We were a dynamic duo back in high school kicking bags of goals together.”
Now they’re sharing the same forward line at Essendon.
“They’re good mates, those two, and I think they’re going to look for each other over the years to come,” Giansiracusa said.
“He (Kako makes the opposition worry about him and we want a forward line where we’ve got multiple guys like that.
“He was busy, he put pressure on. He’ll get his opportunities from a scoring point of view, but as long as he keeps bringing that pressure, that’s what he can control – and that’s what we’ll keep preaching with him.”
While Caddy and Kako lit up the first half, SSP hopeful Tom Edwards produced an outstanding audition for a Bombers list in the second half, booting four goals as he showed off his versatility,
Edwards, a 191cm forward, earned a train-on opportunity with Essendon after an excellent few seasons for Swan Districts, booting 70.56 from his past 37 WAFL league games.
Asked about Edwards’ chances of an AFL lifeline following his four-goal haul, Giansiracusa said: “List management will deal with that during the week – I think they’ve got until Friday – but he couldn’t have done much more, especially the way he came into the game.
“Second half, it can be a challenge to get into it, but he’s a smart footballer – that’s what we’ve seen through his training – and he runs the right patterns. He did everything he needed to do.
“We probably saw him as more of a marking, lead-up type of target, but he did some good stuff on the ground today, which needed to happen with the conditions.
“Guys that take their chances inside 50 when they get limited opportunities is a positive. They’re pretty hard to find.”
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