Essendon Football Club expects Dean Rioli to return to the club and re-commence training early next week. Assistant coach Robert Shaw and recently-retired Bomber champion Michael Long tonight returned from the Northern Territory where they have spent the past two days talking with the absent Essendon star. Rioli returned home to Melville Island because for personal reasons but is now ready to return to Melbourne to resume his AFL career.

""Dean was in a positive frame of mind when Robert and Michael left him and we expect to have him back early next week,"" Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson said. ""He still has a few issues to work through but he wants to play to AFL football and that is good news.""