Essendon Coach John Worsfold is happy with the depth of talent on his playing list heading in to the 2016 season. 

The Bombers were one of the more active Clubs in the trade and draft periods adding seasoned recruits Matthew Leuenberger and Craig Bird to their stocks and also drafting some of the best young talent in the country. 

It has left coaching staff with a number of different scenarios to consider as the start of the season draws closer.

The make-up of the ruck combination is one such area with Worsfold having Leuenberger, a fit-again Tom Bellchambers, Shaun McKernan and the rookie listed Gach Nyuon at his disposal. 

McKernan finished the 2015 season strongly averaging 22 possessions and kicking five goals across the final three games of the season. 

He offers mobility and a forward presence while Leuenberger and Bellchambers have shown over the course of their careers they can hold down the number one ruck spot.

“Both (Leuenberger and Bellchambers) can be topline ruckmen and Bellchambers has definitely got runs on the board in terms of kicking goals when he’s forward,” Worsfold said. 

“Shaun McKernan really developed last year and gives us flexibility and depth too.

“Between those three, they could all play in the team or there could only be two in the team, but we’re pretty confident we’ve got great depth there.

“I think Bellchambers will impact more when he’s forward than Leuenberger so I’d expect that Leuenberger will spend a little more time in the ruck, but he’s still got to earn that right.”

The additions of Mitch Brown and Michael Hartley in the National Draft bolstered Essendon’s key defensive stocks after the off-season departures of Dustin Fletcher, Jake Carlisle and Ariel Steinberg.

Tayte Pears is enjoying his best pre-season in a number of years, adding to a list of options that also includes All-Australians Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker as well as one of Club's most experienced finals players, James Gwilt.

The depth has allowed Worsfold to send Hooker to the forwards group for the start of the pre-season in an effort to advance that side of his game.

“At the moment we want him to spend a bit of time forward because he showed he could impact up forward without actually having ever trained there,” Worsfold said.

“So there is a lot of upside there.  We know he can slot straight back, he doesn’t have to train back too much, he’s got runs on the board there, he knows how to play back.

“We feel the benefit is to give him some more training up forward as we have a look at how the structure starts to look in the pre-season.

“We expect that (Tayte) Pears is going to be fit and we’ve got (James) Gwilt there as well so we think we’ve some depth back regardless.”

Worsfold joined the Bombers after a long playing and coaching career with West Coast before more recently taking on roles with the Coaches Association and Adelaide Crows. 

He said the fitness standards at Essendon compare well to the benchmarks set across the competition.

“I’ve had a look at what Essendon’s running capabilities were in games last year and it mirrors what’s happening at other clubs,” he said.

“But I’d like to challenge them to improve in all areas, improve their overall endurance, improve their overall strength and take their games to a new level.”