WAFL finals: East Fremantle Sharks reach out to Essendon Bombers about release for draftee Lachie Blakiston

East Fremantle have reached out to Essendon in a bid to have mid-season draftee Lachie Blakiston released for the club’s finals campaign. Sharks coach Bill Monaghan revealed the club were in discussions with the Bombers around Blakiston and they were hopeful he could be cleared if they push beyond this weekend’s elimination final clash. Blakiston was drafted as a mature-aged ruckman midway through the season, but has been transformed into a defender in Brad Scott’s undermanned side. He has played nine games in the back-half of the year. Essendon’s rescheduled match with Gold Coast on Wednesday night rules Blakiston out of the clash with Perth on Sunday. “The question has been asked,” Monaghan said. “It’s going to be a difficult one. The fact that they play Wednesday it rules him out of this week. “We’re hopeful Lachie gets released at some stage. It’s not easy losing your No.1 ruckman mid-season. If he gets released it’s a bonus, but if not, head down and work hard with what we’ve got.” There is precedent of players being released back to the WAFL. Former Richmond player Matt Parker played the 2021 finals series with South Fremantle after he was drafted to the Tigers mid-season. Blakiston needed just three league matches this season to impress Essendon after a breakout WAFL campaign last year. The Sharks have been running a one-two ruck punch of former Fremantle and West Coast-listed big man Luke Strnadica and premiership player Reuben McGuire. Monaghan said he was reluctant to break up that pairing, but said it was unlikely he would deploy Blakiston as a backman, like the Bombers have. “It has crossed my mind ... but I think using him through the midfield if we do get him might be a better option,” he said. Monaghan then joked “maybe I’ve played him out of position the two years he’s been here”. “I thought they took him as a ruckman, clearly Essendon have had some availability issues. He’s done some good things, for someone who has never played back and is 203cm but he’s also growing and learning,” he said. “I talk to him regularly and see how he’s going and if he’s enjoying it, maybe hoping I can convince him to come back if he’s released, but I hope he stays on the AFL list and plays 100 games of AFL footy. “That’d be a great story. Souths delisted him, he came to us and we really didn’t know what we were going to get and all of a sudden he has turned into one of the best ruckman in the competition and got drafted. It’s a great story in that everyone’s pathway doesn’t have to be the same.”