John Worsfold says he’s up for the challenge of leading Essendon through the 2016 season.

The Bombers returned to the training track today for the first time since Tuesday’s ruling.

Hundreds of fans were there to show their support for the players.

Worsfold said despite the absence of several stars, the team would be aiming to win.

“My view would be that we’re going to be as competitive as we can throughout the whole year,” he said.

“I’ll be focusing on improving and helping these guys grow as footballers.

“We’re going out there to win games of footy and we’re going to challenge ourselves to get the absolute best out of our group.

“If we have one or two bad losses I won’t be saying let’s shut up shop and cower away.”

Jobe Watson, Cale Hooker, Dyson Heppell and Michael Hurley headline the list of Bombers stars that will be missing this season.

But Worsfold said he would still have plenty of talent available to him.

“Every season challenges you in so many ways,” he said.

“When you’re coaching a team that’s expected to play off in a Grand Final that’s a massive challenge.

“This is a challenge in a different light – not one that I’m nervous or worried about but one that I’m really excited about. 

“We’re not running out with a total team of youngsters so the challenge for us is to train them up, get them fit and compete at their absolute best.

“I’m a big believer that you can have successes in terms of building to become a great team on the field over the course of seasons, not just one season.

“We can have some great wins this year in terms of preparing for how good we want to be in the future." 

Despite enduring one of their toughest weeks, Worsfold said the players and coaches were remaining focused on preparing for the season.

“You don’t sit around and sulk.  We’ve got a lot of stuff that we’ve got to do now and we’re preparing for a footy season and I have to be focused on that,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of experiences through my sporting career and through my personal life that we get through.

“Events that happen that we don’t want to happen but we’ve got to deal with it.

“I’ve got some experience through my time with Adelaide and I understand you can get back out there and bounce back and go well.”