Essendon’s new head of strength and conditioning Sean Murphy says the next fortnight is crucial for the squad after the first-to-fourth-year players returned to training on Monday.

While the 2020 season may seem an age away to most, Murphy is aware of how quickly it can creep up, particularly considering the short turnaround into the Christmas break.

“It’s really important that they do actually come back at a (good fitness) level, so that we can actually set the standards over these next two weeks,” Murphy said.

“We’ve got a good little block here for two weeks with these young fellas to set the scene for when the older fellas get back and then we can really launch into the pre-season.

“Pre-Christmas we don’t get much (time to train); we’ve got five weeks, then we’ve got a three-week break and then we’re back into it. This block it is really important that we actually get started and get into the footy side of things as well.”

The youngsters weren’t alone at The Hangar, with several senior teammates returning to The Hangar two weeks ahead of schedule.

Bar some conversations with a few players in recent weeks, Monday’s session provided Murphy with his first chance to meet the Bombers since joining the club and he said first impressions have been positive.

“It’s really nice to actually meet them. I’ve been here for a couple of weeks now and it’s just nice to put some faces to names and see where they’re at where they’ve returned from the break and just get started out on the training track.

“I’ve met a few over the last couple of weeks in one-on-one chats. It is nice to see some of the older guys rock up and join in, which really sets a scene for our younger fellas when they’re coming back in.

“The young fellas, at first glance, look like they’ve returned in pretty good shape so it sets a bit of a platform for us to train over these next five weeks.”

When you think of the early stages of AFL pre-seasons you may picture players endlessly running around the track under the beating sun and while fitness will of course be a major focus over the next few weeks, Murphy also emphasised the importance of integrating genuine football training from the get-go.

“Conditioning is going to be a big block, but as much as anything it (is important) to get the footies out and start training.

“We’ve got new coaches, we’ve got Blake Caracella coming on board, and a bit of game plan stuff that they’ll work on. It’s really important that they got the footies out and actually work with them.

“We’ll do a lot of conditioning stuff with the footies as well, but then get our quality of run on top of that with some of the other sessions that we have in and around the program.”

The remainder of the playing list will return to training on November 25.