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Essendon captain Zach Merrett noted the impact immediately. After all, it\u2019s pretty eye-catching when a draftee cleans up a veteran on the training track.<\/p>\n
Nate Caddy, the Bombers\u2019 first-round pick at the recent AFL draft, unleashed his attacking side, which is quickly earning him praise at Essendon, during some soggy match simulation at the Hangar on Saturday during the club\u2019s inaugural \u201cmember fest\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Essendon captain Zach Merrett at training on Saturday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n The big rookie cleaned up veteran defender Jayden Laverde in a marking contest and after a few minutes on the ground, Laverde got back to his feet and continued training. Caddy picked up his teammate\u2019s green hat and sheepishly apologised before zipping back into the action.<\/p>\n That kind of attack has been missing at the Bombers, Merrett said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are not many guys where you look at their under-18 highlights and say we don\u2019t have someone like that, just the way he throws himself at the contest and the ball,\u201d Merrett said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a few of our backs were nervous today when he came running through a few of those contests.<\/p>\n Essendon draftee Nate Caddy.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cHe is going to be one of those guys who we love playing with and that fans love watching.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a 200-centimetre forward that\u2019s very nimble and can have a really good impact on the game \u2013 the comparison with Charlie Curnow are a bit early, but we are super enthusiastic about his attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n Such has been Caddy\u2019s wish to throw himself in that Merrett said the youngster was showing some frustration at having his training loads managed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s getting a little frustrated that he\u2019s getting held back by the high-performance team,\u201d Merrett said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably not my personality to slow down. I love his energy, love his attitude and he wants to make an impression and has his sights set on playing in round one \u2013 whether he gets there or not. He wants to be a good player and an Essendon player long term.\u201d<\/p>\n Merrett added that recruit Jade Gresham already looked at home in the forward line.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a super smart player \u2013 we probably haven\u2019t had anyone in that mould for a long time,\u201d Merrett said.<\/p>\n Young utility Sam Durham made himself a hero when he kicked the winning goal at Dream Time at the \u2019G last season and Merrett said Durham had taken a big leap during the pre-season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super excited about what Durham can do,\u201d Merrett said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he has the ability to play inside or outside [midfielder]. We need to give those guys space but what that looks like I\u2019m not sure yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Bombers ruckman Sam Draper was playful during his time on stage when speaking with members and offered an update on how his recovery from groin surgery is going.<\/p>\n Draper did recovery work on the sidelines on Saturday and aims to be back in training in January, with the ruckman having missed much of last season due to injuries, including a hip issue.<\/p>\n Essendon ruckman Sam Draper signs an autograph on Saturday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going along nicely, it\u2019s a little slow as I had a pretty big surgery but it\u2019s definitely improving,\u201d Draper said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve run three times now, and I\u2019m feeling a lot stronger and pain free which is nice. I think I\u2019ll join in some training in January and make some inroads there, but there is no return date at this stage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurt watching the boys play last year as I definitely love playing.<\/p>\n \u201cRound one is achievable, but I don\u2019t want to put pressure on it as I want to be 100 per cent and feel good for the whole season.\u201d<\/p>\n Veteran recruit Todd Goldstein looked his typical assertive self during match simulation and will plug straight into the ruck role should Draper need more recovery time.<\/p>\n A few hundred members came to Saturday\u2019s club event despite persistent rain.<\/p>\n Bombers coach Brad Scott believes the team has a big future, but he won\u2019t be setting public goals for this year\u2019s group.<\/p>\n Essendon coach Brad Scott at training on Saturday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n With a number of recruits and some young players still finding their place in the side, Scott told members on Saturday he wanted his side to be about \u201caction, not words\u201d when it came to achieving things in 2024 and beyond.<\/p>\n The Bombers have not won a final since 2004 , and are in a rebuilding phase, working on team cohesion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are focusing on the things we need to improve on to get where we need to go,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n Essendon\u2019s Mason Redman tries to break a tackle on Saturday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe really focus, with our goals, on the actions and behaviours we need to achieve our vision.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we don\u2019t have explicit goals like we want to win X amount of games or finish in a certain place as that takes the players to focus on an outcome they can\u2019t completely control. So we focus strongly on what we can control and break that down into tiny segments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be asked repeatedly what are our goals and where we think we will finish, but I\u2019m not in the prediction business, I\u2019m in the action business.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important for all our members understand where I\u2019m coming from. You might agree or disagree, but I think less talk and more action will make our members much happier in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott hinted he was looking to make some positional changes and find more players to spend time in midfield and running defender roles, but said any changes would be clear by the time they start playing intra-club games in the new year.<\/p>\n The Bombers said Jordan Ridley, Zac Reid and Laverde were all fully fit and Harry Jones was back in full training, while Nik Cox had been building his workload and would join full training next week.<\/p>\n Jake Stringer (foot), Peter Wright (foot), Ben McKay (knee) and Xaiver Duursma (hip) are all in modified running programs and were expected to re-join training in the coming weeks. Sam Weideman would likely rejoin training in January after recovering from an Achilles problem that flared late in the season.<\/p>\n Veteran midfielder Dylan Shiel is still recovering from knee and foot surgery and wasn\u2019t expected to return to full training until February.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Draper has no return date but hopes for round one<\/h3>\n
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Scott wants \u2018action, not talk\u2019 when it comes to 2024<\/h3>\n
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