Essendon midfielder Jye Cladwell has given Bomber fans something to celebrate after committing a further four years of his services to the club.
The 23-year-old inside midfielder joined Essendon ahead of 2021 in a move from GWS, where he was drafted with pick 11 in 2018.
After a relatively stagnant patch of solid form over the last two seasons, he has enjoyed a career-best campaign averaging 22 disposals, nearly seven tackles and four marks in 2024.
He has become one of the most prolific tacklers in the competition this season, adding to his elite contest and clearance work, meshing ideally with the poise and explosiveness of Zach Merrett and Sam Durham in that midfield.
He will remain at the Hangar until the end of 2028 as the Bombers look the right the routine wrongs of their end-of-season collapses and Caldwell helps lead the charge to a September scalp.
Jye Cald, he's here 'til 2028 ๐ค
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) August 13, 2024
โI'm really grateful for the opportunity to play football for Essendon and thank the club for the faith they have put in me to continue my career here. I love this club and extremely excited about what we're building together,โ Caldwell said after signing on.
"I have huge confidence in the playing group, our coaching staff and the whole club in the direction we are heading to bring consistent on field success in the years to come. We will never stop fighting in our quest to bring success to Essendon.
"It was a no brainer for me to stay and I'm super excited to keep showing the passion in the red and black.โ
Caldwell had been enjoying near All-Australian squad level form through majority of the season before the Bombers' fall out of top four contention.
The club hope he can continue the track of this development over the next four seasons as he matures into his mid-20s and prime of his playing career.
Club footy boss Daniel McPherson shared this hope with the Bomber faithful upon the signing.
โJye has had a breakout season in 2024 and he is quickly becoming one of the most improved midfielders in the competition. His ruthless drive to win and competitiveness to put in his best performance every week is infectious to the playing group, and we're delighted he's recommitted to the Bombers,โ McPherson said.
โWe know his best footy is in front of him and we're excited about the growth of our midfield group into the future. Jye is a great young leader and we look forward to him continuing to drive a culture of elite preparation and performance."
