by Daragh Ó Conchúir
AFL franchise Essendon have officially announced the signing of a third Irishman to their ranks, confirming that Meath prospect Cian McBride will join Conor McKenna and Ross McQuillan at The Hangar.
McBride has signed a two-year contract that will keep him with the Dons until 2021 at least.
The 18-year-old St Ultan's clubman, who was a key cog as Meath won the Leinster minor championship in 2018 and progressed quickly to the U20s this year, impressed during testing and training sessions in Dublin and again at the AFL Draft Combine last month, where he was joined by Donegal’s Oisín Gallen, as well as fellow Royal Vikki Wall, Olivia Divilly (Galway) and Saoirse Noonan (Cork), who trialled in the AFLW equivalent.
His footwork, speed, ball skills and work ethic all stood out, particularly given his stature at 197cm, just under 6’5”.
In that fashion, he has drawn comparisons with another Meath man Conor Nash, who has made the breakthrough at Hawthorn.
“We are delighted to welcome Cian to the club as our second international rookie for season 2020” said Essendon’s general manager of list and recruiting, Adrian Dodoro.
“Cian has continued to impress us, showing great athleticism for his height, recording a six-minute and 17-second 2km time trial. He also recorded 2.99 seconds for his 20m sprint.
“He has adapted well to Australian football, showing rapid improvement at the AFL Europe training sessions in June this year.”
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