Essendon will be looking for steady improvement over the next few months after the second to fourth year players completed their first time trial this morning.

Patrick Ambrose crossed the line first followed home by Orazio Fantasia, Will Hams, Jason Ashby and Kyle Langford.

The result marks a quick recovery for Ambrose who underwent shoulder surgery in late August.

“I felt pretty good during the run,” he said.

“The shoulder feels really good, I’ve got all of my movement back.

“I’ve just got to get some strength back in to it and I should be sweet for round one.”

Brent Stanton surprised the group by also taking part in the run even though he’s not required back at training for another two weeks.

“’Stants’ has been doing it for years and he knows what time he has to run and he can set a good pace for the younger guys,” Ambrose said.

Physical Performance Manager Justin Crow said the time trial was a good starting point as the pre-season gets into full swing.

 “I thought we ran a solid race,” he said.

“There has been a focus on putting on weight and size in the off-season.

“We’ve seen some good results in that area, but certainly we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.

“Particularly with this development group, you want to take a step forward at every opportunity. 

“We’re looking for guys to improve on previous years performances and keep working towards being an elite player.”