Essendon's Mid-Season Draft selection Saad El-Hawliย will don the sash for another year following his re-signing at the Bombers.
El-Hawli said in his announcement that he was thankful for the opportunity handed to him at the Hangar.
"I'm extremely grateful to be part of such an amazing club. Everyone has been so welcoming. I can't wait to get to work and show the Dons faithful what I can do," El-Hawli said.
Taken at Pick 13 in the 2024 Mid-Season Draft, the 23-year-old had spent his time developing at VFL level before an ankle injury hindered his progress. His best game at Tullamarine came in his second match in the reserves side, where he recorded 27 disposals and four goals in the red and black.
After a nine-week stint on the sidelines, El-Hawli returned last weekend against Gold Coast's VFL side, recording 21 disposals, six marks and scoring 1.3.
The exciting speedster was taken from the Northern Bullants, where performances of 32, 31 and 33 disposals highlighted his ball-winning ability off half-back and on the wing. He was the second Bullant to be taken in the Mid-Season Draft after Brandon Ryan was selected by Hawthorn in 2023.
Essendon's AFL General Manager Daniel McPherson said he was excited about El-Hawli's potential after a full pre-season.
"Saad is incredibly committed to his football career and shows great appetite to be the best he can be. We're looking forward to seeing what Saad can do in 2025, with a full AFL pre-season under his belt," he said.
Yet to make his debut, El-Hawli will continue to push for selection for the remainder of the season. Essendon's final two home and away season games are against Sydney and Brisbane, the former commencing Friday, 7:40pm (AEST) at the SCG.
