Essendon Football Club will officially lodge paperwork on Sunday which will see former St. Kilda defender James Gwilt join the club as an unrestricted free agent.

An experienced and agile defender Gwilt has agreed to terms on a one year deal with the Bombers as a delisted free agent.

The 28-year-old was recruited to St Kilda with pick 63 in the 2004 National Draft playing 125 games from 2005 – 2014.

List manager Adrian Dodoro said Gwilt would be a valuable addition to the club’s senior list for the 2015 season.

“We have put an offer to James which he has accepted and we will now formally lodge the paperwork with the AFL,” Dodoro said.

“James has great flexibility having showcased his ability to play on both small and tall forwards during his time at St Kilda. He has proven experience in big games having played well during finals series in his time at the Saints."

“It is exciting that James has agreed to join our club as we believe he can addsome real depth and experience to our list. He is still playing some very good football and we are confident he has a lot to offer our club going forward."