Essendon’s first-round draft pick, Ben Hobbs, might become a trade target at the end of this season, according to AFL.com.au trade and draft expert Cal Twomey.
Hobbs was recalled to the senior Bombers side on Thursday for the first time since May, following a frustrating season in which he has managed to play only nine AFL games.
The 20-year-old Ben Hobbs has been performing well at VFL level, but has found himself behind players like Sam Durham, Jye Caldwell, and Dylan Shiel in Brad Scott’s lineup.
With competition for midfield spots intensifying at Essendon, AFL trade expert Cal Twomey previously mentioned that Shiel and former No.5 pick Elijah Tsatas could also be trade targets at season’s end.
During this week’s episode of *Gettable*, Twomey noted that rival clubs have been monitoring Hobbs’ progress in the VFL and may attempt to lure him away from the Bombers, despite his contract running until the end of 2025.
“It’s reached a point where if a club approaches Essendon to acquire Hobbs, I think he should consider the move, and I believe the club might recognize that as well,” Twomey said on Wednesday, before Hobbs was recalled for Saturday night’s game against Gold Coast.
“From the outside looking in, he hasn’t been playing, and he hasn’t been selected, with many midfielders being chosen ahead of him over the past 10 weeks.
He’s contracted for next year, but rival clubs have definitely been keeping an eye on his VFL performances.”
“So, I’d definitely consider him as a midfield option during the Trade Period.”
Hobbs has played 44 senior games since being selected with pick No.13 in the 2021 national draft.
Like Hobbs, Tsatas is also under contract but has seen limited senior action under Brad Scott this year, largely due to a serious knee injury that affected his debut season.
“Tsatas is an inside midfielder by trade, a clearance player, but he has some senior players ahead of him,” Twomey said on *Gettable* last month.
“Ultimately, it would be up to the Bombers if anything materialized there.
But I’d expect he’s a player that clubs are evaluating, thinking, ‘If he can’t break into their midfield, could he find a spot in ours?'”
One reason for the slide of Hobbs and Tsatas down the pecking order has been the rise of Jye Caldwell, who, along with Sam Durham, has been one of Essendon’s most improved players this year.
The 23-year-old Caldwell is out of contract at the end of the season, but Twomey reports that a long-term extension is expected to be imminent.
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