Michael Hurley says he’s returned to a ‘better football club’ as he continues his comeback to the game.

The All-Australian defender spent the 2016 season on the sidelines.

But he returned to pre-season training last month and has been impressed by what he’s seen. 

“It feels like a better football club,” Hurley said.

“Leaving in January this year was sad and left the footy club in an awkward position.

“Coming back now it feels great.  John (Worsfold) and the other coaches have put in a great 12 months and the place feels fantastic." 

Hurley admits he’s endured a bit of soreness as he gets back into the swing of training.

The Bombers fitness staff has implemented specific programs for the returning players to ensure their smooth transition back into the football program. 

“Justin Crow (High Performance Manager) and Paul Turk (Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach) have really looked after us,” Hurley said.

“It’s hard to throw us straight into the deep end, we sort of haven’t had that footy training or the game type stuff for a while now. 

“We’ve been in and out of drills and doing some running when the other guys have been doing some change of direction, so they’ve been fantastic with that.”