Patrick Ryen

I BELIEVE ETHAN DREVER WILL BE ESSENDON’S PICK 1 in the open draft! 👀❤️🖤 I’m calling it now. Ethan Drever to the Bombers! 188cm. Powerful. Tough. Clean. Explosive. Can win it inside, burst from congestion and then take the game on. And that speed is real. Drever ran a 2.905-second 20m sprint at the Draft Combine, showing exactly the sort of burst you want in a modern midfielder! 🚀 He also fits beautifully with the direction Mark McVeigh is bringing to Essendon. Speed. Attack. Flair. Aggression. Moving the ball forward. Drever has the tools to play exactly that way. Pick 1. Ethan Drever. That’s my call. 👊 Biggest off-season in our history. We MUST nail this draft! #godons @essendonfc #ethandrever 👊❤️🖤

Some outstanding appointments at the Blues. The man driving the transformation is Graham Wright. He's clearly one of the best CEOs in the business right now and setting the benchmark for how a football club should be run. #AFL

Drever and another Archie! 😉❤️🖤💪 🏹 #ethandrever #archieelliott @essendonfc

I've made no secret of the fact that Ethan Drever is my choice for the Bombers' first pick! I've posted plenty throughout the year about exactly why. He brings something our midfield desperately needs. His explosive speed and burst out of the front of stoppage, penetrating kick and an ability to break lines and create separation would add another dimension to our midfield! Alongside Dyson Sharp and Sully Robey, Ethan would be the perfect addition! He's the type of player who can change the momentum of a game in an instant and put opposition sides on the back foot. But let's be clear, Arki Butler is an absolute beauty too. His foot skills are elite, he's terrific overhead and he's got that ability to turn a game on its head in a matter of minutes. He brings plenty of class and genuine scoreboard impact. Exactly the sort of talent you want running around in your forward half. I'd happily have either of them running around in the red and black. Ideally, we'd find a way to get both, but realistically, I think that's a long shot! My preference remains Drever, simply because I believe he's what our list needs most right now. At the end of the day, we all want to see the club get this draft right and bring in players who can help take us forward. Two cracking prospects. I'd be pretty happy to welcome either of them to the Hangar! ❤️🖤👊 #godons #ethandrever #arkibutler @essendonfc

Outstanding work by Ben Waterworth. Reckon his nailed it! ❤️🖤👊 @essendonfc #godons @FOXFOOTY #ethandrever

Brayden Fiorini has plenty to offer Essendon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can produce with a full pre-season behind him. After battling a serious back injury that required surgery, Fiorini continued to show his character, leadership and commitment to the group. He kept working with the younger players and finding ways to contribute, even when he couldn't get out on the park himself. His ball-winning ability, elite work rate, two-way running and versatility give him plenty of weapons. He's also got a point of difference with his left foot and the ability to win his own footy and link up through the midfield. Encouragingly, he's been running really well and appears to be building towards a strong pre-season. Now it's about getting his body right, putting in the hard yards and building consistency. If he can do that, Fiorini has the opportunity to become a valuable contributor for the Bombers and help raise the standard within the group. 👊❤️🖤 #Godons #braydenfiorini @essendonfc

Sam Durham is exactly the sort of player you want building your midfield around for the next five to seven years. Tough, powerful, competitive and gives you everything he's got. He can impact games at both ends of the ground and there's still plenty of improvement left in him. Add young, powerful mids like Dyson Sharp and Sully Robey to the mix, and potentially bring in Ethan Drever with his elite speed and burst, and suddenly you've got the makings of a seriously exciting midfield group. Durham can help lead the way while these young blokes develop around him. The mix of power, speed and explosiveness is certainly there. Plenty of work ahead, but there's real potential to build something special here that can take us where we wanna go! 👊❤️🖤 #godons #samdurham @essendonfc

Outstanding work by @Jasperc53 interviewing highly rated draft prospect Ethan Drever. A must read for all Bomber fans! 🖤❤️👊 #godons @essendonfc #ethandrever

The Bombers and Richmond will stay in Perth for a week after their Dreamtime game in WA, with both sides set to play an additional game against either the Dockers or the Eagles. As per @XanderMcGuire7 ❤️🖤👊 #godons @essendonfc

Jack Pickett One I reckon is worth a close look for the Bombers! At 193cm, Pickett has serious scoreboard potential, kicking 31 goals in just eight games as a bottom-ager in 2025. He's a strong mark, has good forward craft and knows how to find the goals. What excites me is his upside. There's plenty of development ahead of him, and the thought of what he could become with a few more years of development is exciting. He's had a setback this year with his knee but has worked tirelessly to get back. There's plenty to like about his game and the potential he brings. We need to keep adding quality young talent, particularly players who can make a difference inside 50. Definitely one I'd want Rosa to have a good look at. Could be an exciting prospect for the future. 👊❤️🖤 #Godons #EssendonFC #AFLDraft #jackpickett @essendonfc

What I love about Vigo is the toughness he brings to the contest. He's prepared to put his body on the line, attack the footy. He brings that physical edge you want in a young player and doesn't mind getting stuck into the hard stuff. The exciting part is the potential he has at his age. There's plenty of development ahead of him, and having Mummy coaching him and playing a part in his guidance is another positive. Learning from someone with that experience and a bloke who also has that edge can be invaluable as Vigo continues to develop his craft and understanding of the game. You can't teach that willingness to compete, tackle hard and put pressure on the opposition. That's the foundation you want to build on. He has the willingness to get his hands dirty and do the work which is what he's gonna need to do to make it! Still plenty of work ahead, but there's plenty to like about Vigo and what he could become in the red and black. 👊❤️🖤 #Godons #VigoVisentini #EssendonFC @essendonfc