Essendon midfielder Sam Durham is fast becoming a star of the competition and is one of the most improved players this year.
Featuring as a centre bounce midfielder for the 3rd-placed team 15 rounds into 2024, Durham has announced himself among Brad Scott’s most important players.
The 22-year-old ranks 3rd for contested possessions at the Bombers this year, 3rd for clearances and 3rd for inside 50s in what is only his 3rd full season at the top level.
Durham put pen to paper after Round 3 earlier this year on a four-year contract but has since established himself as a key cog of the Essendon outfit.
Following another impressive 29-disposal, 10-inside 50 (both season highs) performance against West Coast, club great Tim Watson questioned if Durham signed for less than his contract is worth now.
“I just want to pose this to you – Essendon Football Club probably won’t enjoy this conversation, but thinking about watching Sam play last weekend, the fact he re-signed for the club at the beginning of this season… and now what we’ve seen him produce, I would have thought his contract is unders, way unders,” Watson posed to Garry Lyon on SEN Breakfast.
“I don’t know, I’ve got no idea about the detail of it, but I would think it would be. It’s a hypothetical question, but under those circumstances, do you think it’s incumbent on a football club, if they think they got someone too cheaply, do you think it’s incumbent on them to go back and maybe say, ‘look, we need to rewrite that contract’?”
Lyon responded: “Yes, I do think it is. And good clubs would.”
Watson: “And in good faith. He may have great incentives built in there and he might have the potential to earn a lot of money and he might be happy with that…”
Lyon (with a laugh): “I say yes, but only if the player is prepared to do it the other way. Sign a big contract, not performing and (then give some back).”
Watson went on to add plenty of praise for Durham’s rise in 2024.
“He’s come from the clouds and we’re talking about him because I think it’s extraordinary what he’s done. A couple of years ago he was a top-up player for Richmond’s reserves, mid-season (2021) he gets taken by Essendon in the draft,” he continued.
“They play him in a position that suggests he’s not out of sorts playing AFL football but he doesn’t look like a frontline player… he gets himself fitter, stronger, gets some confidence and they put him in the midfield.
“Now for Essendon, he’s a game-changer because he can do some things that other midfielders can’t do.”
Durham has now played 62 games for Essendon and the Seymour talent will lead the Bombers into battle against Geelong on Saturday night.