Essendon have signed its third Irishman in Cian McBride until the end of 2021.
The 18-year old spent his junior days playing Gaelic football but made the conversion to AFL at the start of this year, impressing at the NAB AFL Draft Combine and AFL Europe training sessions.
The 197cm product joins Conor McKenna and Ross McQuillan as the third Irishman on Essendon’s list in 2020.
Under the league's international rookie rules, an Irish player can be signed directly to a club's rookie list without being drafted.
“We are delighted to welcome Cian to the club as our second international rookie for season 2020,” Bombers list boss Adrian Dodoro told essendonfc.com.au.
“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 20-metre sprint.
“He has adapted well to Australian Football, showing rapid improvement at the AFL Europe training sessions in June this year.
“We look forward to seeing what he can achieve in the red and black over the next two years.”
