Martin Gleeson Biography

Essendon delists Martin Gleeson.

"He has been such a respected, dependable person for us over a number of years and it's tough saying goodbye to someone as popular as he is," Essendon football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"Marty should be proud of his efforts, in particular his resilience to overcome a significant ankle injury and the way he has helped shape the culture of our club."

Essendon select Martin Gleeson with pick No.6 in the 2020 Rookie Draft.

Essendon delist Jacob Townsend and Henry Crauford.

Martin Gleeson and Dylan Clarke have also been cut from the Bombers' list, but with the promise of being re-rookied in the upcoming 2020 Rookie Draft.

Marty Gleeson's reveals the gruesome details behind an ankle injury that was so bad that doctor Bruce Reid had only ever seen it once before.

Gleeson had flown for a mark in the Bombers' JLT Community Series clash with Geelong in Colac. It was like hundreds of marking contests Gleeson had been a part of before. Except this time Gleeson landed awkwardly on his ankle and needed to be taken off the field.

The talus bone in the middle of Gleeson's left ankle split in half. So much so that when he was looking at the x-ray, Gleeson asked where the fracture was, not knowing that the two bones in front of him were meant to be one. The break then dragged his heel forward about a centimetre, dislocating it.

This was the start of a long road for Gleeson – a full season on the sidelines, more than 12 months between games at any level and 656 days separating appearances in Essendon's AFL line-up.

"I walked out of getting an x-ray and the guy couldn't tell me what I'd done, but he said 'Are you sore?' And I said 'I'm not too bad at this stage' and he raised his eyebrows," Gleeson recalled.

"Then I had a call from 'Reidy' (Essendon club doctor Bruce Reid) straight away and he said 'You've got to go straight to the Epworth Hospital, you've got a pretty nasty ankle injury, you'll be getting surgery at 7.30 in the morning'. I got sore straight away once I knew what had happened."

As he recovers from a broken foot, Martin Gleeson signs a new two-year deal with Essendon to remain at the club until the end of 2020.

"He has grown into a great young clubman. Marty has inspired many with his attitude towards rehabilitation and is doing everything he can to return to the field," Essendon coach John Worsfold said.

"He has become an important asset to our backline and we are excited to see what he can achieve at Essendon over the next few years."

Martin Gleeson will be sidelined for 12-14 weeks after injuring his foot from landing after a marking contest late in the final quarter in the Bombers' four-point win over Geelong in Colac.

Gleeson will require surgery on a broken foot and a dislocation.

"Marty suffered a major fracture to the front of the talus and a minor dislocation to the subtalar joint in his foot," Essendon general manager of football Dan Richardson said.

"While this is an uncommon injury, we are fortunate he is in the safe hands of our medical team and Mr Andrew Oppy who will conduct the surgery this morning."

Willem Drew's first pre-season as an AFL player at Port Adelaide is going just as his cousin, Essendon defender Marty Gleeson, predicted.

"He said, 'You're going to be knackered most of the time – all you do is train, eat and sleep'," Drew said.

"I was always asking (Gleeson) questions when he was back home at Koroit. He helped me a fair bit going into my draft year to make sure I was prepared."

Martin Gleeson signs a two-year contract extension with Essendon that will keep him at the club until the end of 2018.

"I've really enjoyed my first season under Woosha (coach John Worsfold) and I’m excited to be continuing my career at Essendon,” Gleeson said.

"The bond amongst the players is really strong, we have made some great progress as a playing group this season, we are demanding elite standards of each other and building a really strong team culture."

Martin Gleeson signs a new two-year deal with Essendon that will keep him at the club until the end of 2016.

"I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity the club has given me; my teammates and coaches have provided me with plenty of encouragement and support and I'm excited to have re-signed," Gleeson said.

"I'll continue to work closely with the development coaches on a number of key areas of my game, and hopefully that will allow me to put my hand up to play more senior football next season."

Marty Gleeson's skills and ability to run and create off half-back so far in 2014 have drawn comparisons to Geelong's Corey Enright.

"I don't know about that," Gleeson said.

"Corey Enright is obviously a legend of the game, if I could be half as good as him I'd be very happy. He's been a great player for over 12 years so he's definitely someone I look up to."

Martin Gleeson makes his AFL debut for Essendon at Docklands Stadium with 14 disposals (8 kicks and 6 handballs), 5 marks and a tackle in a 39-point win over North Melbourne.