Matthew Knights and the Bombers coaching staff have continued Essendon’s tradition of looking West for young football talent.

The Bombers had four picks in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft; 10, 24, 26 and 33, using pick 26 to select West Australian speedster, Travis Colyer.

Recruited from Claremont, Colyer is a pacey midfielder who is not afraid to put his head over the ball. His run and carry, accurate disposal and poise in traffic will help fill the holes left by former Bomber’s, Andrew Lovett and Hayden Skipworth.

Colyer was impressive for WA throughout the NAB AFL U18 Championships, with his efforts earning him All-Australian honours.

He was equally as exciting during the draft camp, recording 2.96 seconds in the 20 metre sprints, and reaching level 14.5 in the beep test. These statistics highlighted Colyer’s speed and endurance.

Standing at 174cms and weighing 73kgs, Essendon list manager, Adrian Dodoro, likened Colyer to AFL superstars Brent Harvey and Chance Bateman.

The Bombers used their other three picks to select Calder Cannon’s team mates Jake Melksham, Jake Carlisle and Anthony Long, the nephew of club legend Michael Long.