ESSENDON has met with Jake Stringer as its interest in the Western Bulldogs premiership player ramps up, but the Bombers will not be chasing Brisbane Lions free agent Tom Rockliff.
The Bombers have also confirmed their interest in former player Stewart Crameri, but said the club had other priorities in the upcoming exchange period.
Since being told he would be put up for trade by the Bulldogs earlier this month, Stringer has caught up for a coffee with Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro, with the Bombers among several clubs linked to the powerful forward.
"We have a really strong desire to see the process through and where Jake wants to get to with his football. We think we're a club now that's a destination club for many AFL players that are looking for a new home," Dodoro said on Tuesday at the launch of NAB AFL Trade Radio.
"He's a quality player and he's got a lot to think through over the next few weeks, and we'd like to be part of that process."
Essendon holds pick No.11 at November's NAB AFL Draft, with Geelong and Richmond other clubs linked strongly to the premiership-winning Bulldog.
Dodoro said the Bombers could get a deal done if Stringer nominated them as his preferred home, and that they didn't have an advantage in negotiations because the Bulldogs had publicly offered Stringer to rivals.
"There's certainly no feeling of [having the] upper hand. We have a lot of respect for the Bulldogs and if he did choose us as his club of choice, then I'm sure we'd sit down and do a fair trade," he said.
Stringer, 23, kicked 24 goals in 16 games this season and was one of a number of Dogs down on form in 2017 after their premiership triumph last year. The Bombers, however, are confident he can recapture his best with a fresh start.
"I've got no doubt that he's got the make-up to become an elite AFL player for many years," Dodoro said.
"We've done a lot due diligence and we're doing a lot more. It's only early days and we're asking a lot of questions. In the very limited discussions we've had with him, he's been really upfront and forthright and I'm sure when we sit down with [Bulldogs list manager] Jason McCartney he'll be the same as well.
"At the moment we're just respecting everyone and trying to find out all the information. I'm sure he's a young man who will find his feet."
The Bombers were in the hunt for Greater Western Sydney star Josh Kelly before he re-signed with the Giants, and have signaled their intent to land an "elite midfielder" in the upcoming trade period.
They have shown an interest in out-of-contract Giant Matt Kennedy, but will not be pursuing Rockliff as the former Lions captain weighs up whether to stay at the club or look elsewhere as a restricted free agent.
"Tom's a really good player. He probably doesn't fit our demographic for where we're going as a club. We probably identify guys who are 22 or 23 years of age to go with our current group of younger players who we've got," Dodoro said.
"He's a very good player but he's probably not in our sights."
The Bombers also recently met with Liam Pickering, Gary Ablett's manager, and sought to see whether the Gold Coast champion would look at a move to Essendon.
"We certainly asked the question, but [Pickering] shut that down pretty quick," Dodoro said.
Aaron Francis is a young Bomber who continues to be discussed by rival clubs as possibly being on the trade table after a slow start to his AFL career.
However, Francis is contracted for another two seasons and Dodoro said he was "pretty sure" the No.6 pick from two years ago would remain at the club.
As revealed by AFL.com.au, the Bombers have an interest in Crameri, who remains out of contract at the Western Bulldogs after crossing to the club at the end of 2013.
"That's an interesting one. Given he was a former player of the club we'd like to see where he's at, but it's not a priority for us at this point in time," Dodoro said.
In an interview with the Bulldogs' club website, Crameri admitted he had a "disappointing" year, which was marred by a hip injury that surfaced in February and never truly subsided.
But the former Bomber said he was confident that his body would be ready to fire by the pre-season.
"I needed an operation. It's all going well now so I should be fine for next year," Crameri said.
"In the off-season I'll continue to train at the club and do my rehabilitation on my hips and by October I should be running and up and going by then."
