PEARS, Tayte

Tayte Pears was recruited from East Perth (WAFL) with pick 23 in the 2007 National Draft.

He made his debut in Round 4, 2008, in a loss to the Bulldogs at Docklands, and finished with five games in his first season.

He played every game in 2009, gaining a Rising Star nomination for his Round 13 game against Carlton. His 21 disposals helped Essendon secure a 69-point win and he seemed to have a long career ahead of him.

In 2009, he won the Club's Best First Year Player award and finished third in the AFL's Rising Star award. He also came sixth in the Club's Best and Fairest award.

As a key position player, Pears often took on the best opposition key forwards and was an effective link-up defender who could set up plays from the back line. He won the Adam Ramanauskas Most Courageous Player Award after a solid season in 2010. In 2011, a pre-season foot fracture which required surgery kept him off the field until Round 13. He played 11 of the remaining 14 games but his bad luck continued and he broke his leg in the Elimination Final loss to Carlton.

He returned in Round 1 in 2012 and played ten games, then 11in 2013. Despite only playing half the season that year, he came second in the VFL team's Best and Fairest award.

He spent most of 2015 in the VFL, playing 14 games, but was suspended for the entire 2016 season due to the Supplements saga In September of that year he announced his retirement from football and his intention to join the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.