Essendon co vice-captain Zach Merrett has urged the club and Bombers supporters to enjoy the hype, following their capture of a number of high profile players during the off-season.
The Bombers made their first finals appearance since 2014 last season, and have added Western Bulldogs forward Jake Stringer, Gold Coast defender Adam Saad and Devon Smith from GWS, as the club tries to push into the premiership window.
The 21-year-old told SEN’s Time On with Sam McClure, that while the hype has been mostly kept in-house until this stage, being such a big club means the publicity should be welcomed.
“Obviously there’s always going to be a lot of talk when you bring in three pretty high priced recruits in Dev, Jake and Adam,” he said.
“As we know, other teams have done that and haven’t gone overly well, so I think we’ve been pretty good at keeping inside the four walls, but knowing there’s going to be a lot of hype – we should embrace it, knowing that we’re such a big, proud club with so many great members.
“It would be great to get a lot of supporters early in the year, and hopefully get a few wins to keep them coming back.”
He, expects Stringer to spend plenty of time in the midfield, in the hope he can show his explosiveness from stoppages, in a similar manner to the likes of Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield.
“He’s someone who has a real presence on the ground wherever he’s standing, so I’m sure we’ll certainly fit him in the midfield at times, and use his explosiveness and burst out of stoppages, like we see Dangerfield and Dustin Martin do so well,” Merrett said.
“I’m sure he’ll find room.”
Essendon begins its 2018 campaign with a home clash against losing grand finalist Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on March 23.
To hear Zach Merrett's chat to Sam McClure on Time On listen in the player below: