One of the West Coast Eagles’ six delistings has found his way to Essendon, penning a two-year deal with the club’s VFL team.
39-game midfielder-forward Xavier O’Neill has signed with the Bombers’ reserves outfit, per an Essendon club announcement on Saturday afternoon.
O’Neill expressed his pleasure at joining the Essendon ranks as he looks to resurrect his professional career.
“I’m super excited to join Essendon, a very old and established club with lots of history,” O’Neill said as part of Saturday’s club release.
“Having connections with Matt Rosa and Craig Vozzo from my time at West Coast also reassured me that the club is in good hands and a great place for me to work towards getting redrafted.
“I’m eager to earn a spot back on an AFL list and wanted to move home to Victoria, and I thought that Essendon would be a great fit to play VFL.”
The 23-year-old midfielder was drafted by the Eagles with the No. 28 selection at the 2018 National Draft, appearing 39 times at the senior level across five seasons at Lathlain.
O’Neill’s arrival at Tullamarine follows Friday’s announcement of Blake Caracella as the VFL Bombers’ new senior coach.