Essendon are ramping up their bid for Bulldogs star Josh Dunkley as they look to bolster their midfield ranks for 2021.
According toย AFL Media,ย the Bombers are coming "super hard" for Dunkley and have even pressed for Josh's younger brother Kyle, who was recently delisted by the Demons.
Essendon are set to lose Joe Daniher, Adam Saad and Orazio Fantasia in the upcoming exchange period, giving them a strong hand come the trade window and plenty of free salary space to spend.
Speaking on Dunkley,ย AFL Media'sย Mitch Cleary said Essendon are pushing even harder for the Bulldogs onballer.
โHeโs got two years run at Whitten Oval, but the Essendon Football Club is coming super hard,โ Cleary told AFL Trade Radioโs The Early Trade.
โHow hard can Essendon come? Because theyโve got the salary cap room, theyโre moving Joe Daniher out, Adam Saad moves out as well as Orazio Fantasia to Port Adelaide.
โI think theyโre well and truly able to pay Josh Dunkley $700-800,000 to be their big inside bull. Theyโve been crying out for a player like Josh Dunkley for a long time.โ
Dunkley has dropped in the midfield ranks at Whitten Oval, being run through the ruck at times in 2020.
Kane Cornes believes some of the frustrations Dunkley faced this season could be the reason why the 23-year-old might want to leave the Kennel.
โI wonder if heโs frustrated by the way heโs been used this year by Luke Beveridge. If Iโm a midfielder of his calibre, I donโt want to be rucking.
โI know it wasnโt for a long period but there were times throughout the year where he was their genuine second ruck and it did make him much less effective around the ground and doing what he does best.โ
After a deflating opening to their off-season, the Bombers are set to secure Giants young gun Jye Caldwell in the upcoming exchange window and will hope to land Dunkley to add to their list for 2021.
