John Worsfold took control of the Essendon Facebook account on Thursday to answer your questions.
More than 250 people responded. Here are some of those questions and John Worsfold's answers.
Despite the past few seasons, can you see the Dons winning a flag in the next 5-10 years?
Yes, players like Daniher, Merrett, Parish, Laverde, Langford, Fantasia, Walla, Gleeson, Hartley, Francis, Long, Redman and high draft picks this year, will all be in their prime years in that period.
Where will you play Walla in 2017? I liked him very much as a forward in our last game against Carlton but have recently seen that he's keen to try out a stint in the mids.
Walla's rebound off halfback was exciting but we know he's got the potential to kick goals as well. So this is the exciting part of the pre-season to see where our players will fit to get our best 18 on the field.
What's the clubs energy looking like after getting the boys back?
It has been a real boost of energy and excitement around the club and that will go to another level when the entire squad comes back together on November 21.
Are we still on track to reach the objectives of the strategic plan by 2018 despite the WADA bans and subsequent 2016 season? Or have they changed?
Yes, we are on track. We had to make some adjustments and 2017 there are still some unknown challenges we have to face, but believe we will deal with them and stay on track. Our goals are still to be respected, successful and inclusive.
10 players back after 18m off. Can we expect a raft of soft tissue injuries as a result?
We are aware of those challenges but believe a full pre-season will have them fairly well protected. Our high performance team has already factored those issues into their training loads.
Do you think the returning boys will be fully fit to go by Round 1?
Yes, they have kept themselves in really good shape. We are really confident we will have them in peak fitness by round 1.
Hey John hope your well, have we got a closer gauge on who we may be selecting in the national draft with pick 1 are we looking at a attacking player that can impact the scoreboard who maybe hard inside as well as outside or someone who can play behind ball and setup the play similar to a Brendon Goddard with he's very precise disposal efficiency?
Our recruiting staff is working long hours on which they believe will be the best Essendon player over a long period. Pick 1 is really down to 3 or 4 players and they now have a big focus on who we will get at 20 and 29 which are going to be important to balance our squad.
10 players back after 18m off. Can we expect a raft of soft tissue injuries as a result?
We are aware of those challenges but believe a full pre-season will have them fairly well protected. Our high performance team has already factored those issues into their training loads.
Do you see Langford as one of our top 22 & also what do you think is the best position to play him?
Langford was a strong contributor in our best 22 this season and we expect to see him continue his growth and improvement. He impacts well as a forward currently and has the talent to become a strong midfielder in the future.
Do you think the club will consider picking up Aaron Heppell as a rookie?
Yes we will consider him, but most of those decisions aren't made until after the national draft.
Hi John,
Given the emergence of Zach Merrett this season, we will see someone like Jobe playing more forward than in the midfield?
Our midfield depth has been boost with the return of Dyson, Trav, Benny, Buddha, Watson, Myers and the development of Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish means we have more flexibility then ever and any of those guys could spend time forward.
G’day Woosha, with Stewart coming to bombers along with Joe, where do you see Hooker playing? Still in the forward line or at the back?
Hooksy got the ability to play forward and help our goal scoring ability and we also keen to see how James Stewart develops. If Stewart shows the ability to contribute to our forward line and kicking winning scores, Hooksy will contribute to our backline.
We play the Eagles in Rd. 9 next season, will you wave your jacket like the big Sheedz after we secure the win?
I strongly encourage the supporters to wave their jackets!
Hey Woosha, As Jobe has announced that he is ready to come back to our great club and play again, will he resume his role as Captain of the club or will that be passed on to Heppell, Goddard or perhaps someone else?
We will let our whole group spend a couple of months training together before we sit down and discuss leadership structures.
Hi Woosha, What’s your score out of 10, is your satisfaction of the 2017 AFL Draw.
10/10
Your thoughts on the team's 2017 fixture?
The fixture is really fair and reasonable for us, my belief is that your work ethic and talent is still what determines how many wins you get.
Thanks for all the great question. Don't forget to join us in 2017 and be part of our comeback story!
Woosha
