Essendon’s team for Saturday night’s clash against St. Kilda will be bolstered by the return of a number of experienced players.

The 27-man squad includes captain Jobe Watson, veteran defender Dustin Fletcher and key forward Michael Hurley, who will all play their first game of the season.

The full squad is listed below:

Jobe Watson
Brent Stanton
Leroy Jetta
David Zaharakis
Stewart Crameri
Sam Lonergan
Courtenay Dempsey
Tayte Pears
Jake Melksham
Michael Hurley
David Hille
Henry Slattery
Dyson Heppell
Jake Carlisle
David Myers
Cale Hooker
Luke Davis
Elliott Kavanagh
Alwyn Davey
Patrick Ryder
Dustin Fletcher
Travis Colyer
Kyle Hardingham
Kyle Reimers
Michael Hibberd
Tom Bellchambers
Cory Dell'Olio