Ridley ‘fully committed’ to future with Essendon

Jordan Ridley has confirmed his commitment to Essendon.

Citing his faith in the Club’s coaching staff, an emerging playing group and the heavy focus on bolstering their high-performance area, Ridley is determined to get back to his best with the Bombers, where he’s contracted until the end of 2029.

“This off-season gave me a crucial opportunity to reflect on a challenging few years with injury. During that time, it became incredibly clear that my future is with Essendon,” Ridley said.

“I'm fully committed to playing my best football here. I have immense faith in Brad Scott and the direction he's taking this developing group.

“After meeting with our new High Performance team, led by Mat Inness, I’ve been really impressed and confident we have the right strategy in place to overcome my recent injury challenges and get me back to my best.

“My decision was also driven by my great belief in this playing group and the exciting young talent coming through.

“I love this club, I want success for this club, and I’ll be doing everything I can to return success to Essendon for everyone.”

104 games into his career, the former Crichton Medallist is one of the game’s premier intercepting defenders at his best and an integral starter in the Dons’ side.

The show of faith in the club after his difficult two years on the injury front is important for the club, but also a great reflection of Jordan’s character.

“To have Jordan Ridley fully committed to our club is terrific news,” GM of List and Recruiting Matt Rosa said.

"We’ve spoken externally numerous times about how integral he is to our side as a player, to our youngsters as a leader and to our people as a Clubman, and he’s always been fully aware of that.

“It was important to us that Jordan was able to meet with Mat (Inness) to fully understand the important changes we are implementing within our high performance programs. We are now looking forward to them building a strong relationship and putting a plan in place to get Jordan back to his best."

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