Essendon utility Nik Cox and promising key defender Lewis Hayes have both inked two-year contracts to remain Bombers until 2026.
Drawn by the opportunities ahead at the Hangar, Cox said in the announcement of his excitement for his and the team's future.
โI'm very excited to re-sign with Essendon, they've shown great faith in me since being drafted and I'm confident about the list we're building and the future ahead," Cox said.
โI've enjoyed some real continuity in my footy this season after a couple of setbacks from injury and I'm jumping at the opportunity to continue to build on that."
Hayes too spoke on his happiness with the club's direction, and remains keen to work hard for a debut.
โThere are great opportunities on the horizon for this footy club and I'm super excited to be a part of it for the next two years,โ Hayes said.
โUnderย Bradย (Scott) and the wider football staff, the club has been such an enjoyable space for me to grow as a player and person and work hard to keep going after my dream of a debut and establishing myself as an AFL player."
Cox reached a milestone 50th game just last weekend against the Crow, as he continues an uninterrupted stretch of games since Round 2. Averaging 12.4 disposals per game, the 22-year-old has continued to show glimpses of his potential in 2024.
Since being taken with a top 10 draft selection in 2020, the versatile tall has endured injury setbacks that have often plagued his development, with his recent run of durability hopefully a sign of what's to come.
Hayes, 19, has put two consistent seasons of VFL under his belt since being drafted at Pick 25 in the 2022 National Draft, averaging 18.6 disposals and 5.7 marks. His best performance this season came against the Southport Sharks in Round 4 of the VFL, where Hayes recorded 26 disposals and nine marks.
A reliable member of the Bombers' VFL side, the 199cm Eastern Ranges product has yet to miss a match, playing all 32 games possible since the beginning of the 2023 season. Under the development of former Essendon defender Michael Hurley, Hayes has continued to progress promisingly as a key defender.
"Working closely with our development coaches has been massive for me so far, particularly in the case of โHurls' (Michael Hurley) who's really put his arm around me and helped build my defensive capability in the last couple of seasons," he said.
With an AFL Finals spot on the line and a defensive group remaining healthy, Essendon's key defenders Ben McKay and Jordan Ridley are unlikely to make room for a Hayes debut just yet.
However, the signing allows Hayes to place his focus solely on salvaging a poorer season for the VFL side, currently sitting 17th with a 5-9 record.
