Tayte Pears, Essendon’s forgotten defender, has signed a one-year deal at the AFL club.

After playing 23 games in 2009, Pears has only managed 42 games in the last six seasons thanks to a horror run with injuries.

He returned late this season to play two senior matches.

Dustin Fletcher’s retirement and the tumultuous Jake Carlisle trade to St Kilda helped ensure that the Bombers would still need Pears.

Most importantly, Pears said he would report for pre-season training with no lingering injuries.

“The body is feeling fantastic,” he told the club website.

“I’ve been in the gym and out here running a fair bit in the lead up to the pre-season, trying to get the body right, so hopefully I can hit the ground running.

“I’m going into this pre-season with no injuries at all, so I’m really excited and looking forward to it.”

Apart from his two AFL matches this year, Pears also managed 17 games in the VFL despite a limited pre-season.

Essendon finalised their list on Thursday ahead of the November 24 draft by delisting Will Hams and Nick O’Brien.

The club is likely to retain Hams through the November 27 rookie draft.