THE LURE of playing for a big Victorian club was what drew Dylan Shiel to Essendon, with the star Bombers recruit eyeing a flag at his new club.
But the former Giants midfielder does have a bone to pick with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
Shiel was unveiled by the Bombers on Tuesday as the club announced a new five-year sponsorship with Amart at the MCG.
A deal to land Shiel was decided only minutes before the trade deadline two weeks ago, with Essendon giving up two first-round picks (and receiving a second-rounder back their way) to close the trade.
WHO BLINKED FIRST? Inside the Shiel deal's tense final minutes
The 25-year-old said the Bombers' status as one of the most heavily supported clubs in the competition swayed him their way.
"I was really impressed when I met the club. I feel they have really good leadership under Dys [Heppell]. It's a really exciting playing group and getting to know some of the characters there. It's a really big footy club that I want to be a part of," he said.
"I dreamt of playing for a big Victorian club as a kid. I really enjoyed my time at the Giants but it was just the right time to return home and I couldn't be happier to be a footy club that sets such high standards."
Shiel weighed up offers from Hawthorn, Carlton and St Kilda before deciding on the Bombers and said he believed the club could break its premiership drought during his time in the red and black.
"I think every player wants to win a premiership. I think during my time hopefully we can get one. But there's a lot of work to be done. I'm not going to be putting expectations at my first press conference at my new club," he said.
"It was a pretty close call. All four clubs were great. It came down to the end when I didn't think there was going to be a wrong decision. But I thought where Essendon was in their journey and where I am in mine it seemed right for me to be at the club. It was pretty close in the end."
Coach John Worsfold is on the same page as his star recruit when it comes to the Bombers' rise into contention.
"Over the last three years, we've been filling some gaps in our list and building that to become a team that can, well the aim is obviously to win the premiership," Worsfold said.
"Whether that's next year or beyond, that's what's exciting. It's wait and see."
Worsfold believed trading with Greater Western Sydney for Shiel, who made the All Australian side in 2017, will be huge for the Dons.
"Our midfield was solid without probably matching some of the best midfields for … talent level. I think we match that now," Worsfold said.
Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell and recruit Dylan Shiel. Picture: AFL Photos
Shiel will face his former side in round one, after the AFL revealed the Bombers would travel to Spotless Stadium to meet GWS in their opening game. He said he would have preferred to play against his old club a little deeper into the campaign.
"Gil has stitched me up with that one. I would've liked a few more weeks to get used to the teammates before I face the old teammates but it's going to be exciting. I've checked the calendar and it's 145 days until I face my old mates. We'll zero in on it when it comes," he said.
ROUND ONE REVEALED How your club opens its 2019 season
Shiel, who has played 135 games since being a start-up player at GWS, would have reached free agency next year, when the Giants would have received only one first-round pick had he left. He admits he always intended on returning to Melbourne having grown up in bayside Victoria.
"It was something that I thought I was always going to do during my career to return to Melbourne, and the time was right. I'm just looking forward to football in Melbourne," he said.
"It was probably going to come down to whether it was the end of this year or end of next year [when I'd move].
"Halfway through the year I felt like maybe it was time to come home and the club were suffering some salary cap issues and there's no animosity when I went to them and said I'd like to explore options and they were open to that as well.
"That was definitely part of the conversation, if it was to leave this year or next year."
Meanwhile, Worsfold said the club was determined to avoid a repeat of the injury-interrupted pre-season that was the catalyst for a horror 2-6 start in 2018.
"You weigh everything up. The No.1 thing – last year we had (Cale) Hooker, (Joe) Daniher, (Michael) Hurley, (Dyson) Heppell, Devon Smith and (Jake) Stringer all in rehab, really up until Christmas, some of them until well into January. I've made sure that's not the case this year," Worsfold said, tongue in cheek.
"You can call it a stroke of good luck but it's also management.
"There's also, the Anzac Day fixture was a real tough one last year for us. Three games in 11 days I think, and I've sorted that out."
Worsfold was optimistic about star forward Daniher's return to full fitness, after he struggled with osteitis pubis in 2018 and didn't play past round seven.
"He hasn't done full training yet and played a game, so it's hard to say where he's at," Worsfold said.
"We'll slowly build him up, and you're always conscious with that injury that they get to a certain point, as they ramp up every time, you just want to make sure they don't pick up any soreness, because then you have to back them off a little bit.
"His program so far is tracking along exactly how we like it."
WHO'S LEAVING YOUR CLUB? All the latest retirements and delistings
The Bombers are thin for rucks after Matthew Leuenberger's unexpected retirement, with Tom Bellchambers, Shaun McKernan and Sam Draper to carry the burden at this stage.
List manager Adrian Dodoro said he would consider adding another ruckman.
"There's not many tall ruckmen around at the moment. It's an industry issue that we have to find ruckmen for talent pools going forward. We'll certainly look at a couple of guys," Dodoro said.
Meanwhile, Mark Baguley will be on the senior list next year. The original plan was for him to be a rookie but Leuenberger's unexpected decision to end his career, despite having a contract offer in front of him, changed that situation.
