John Worsfold knows the Bombers are heading in the right direction but isn’t sure when the team will reach its optimum level.

The Essendon Coach is leading a squad made up of returning players, draftees and the core of players who carried the load last year.

“There is still a lot of new hurdles and challenges that will come up over this next 12 months, but we’re all excited about it,” Worsfold told SEN.

“I’ve got no doubt we can pull this group together but the timing of how long it takes before it really gels is a bit more of the unknown.

“With everyone’s attitude and everyone’s drive and everyone’s really clear focus on where we’re heading, I’ve got no doubt we’ll get there. 

“Everyone is doing the hard work.

“We’d love to say that we’re going to be there for round one but that is an unknown as well but I know we’re going to be very competitive and it’s going to be exciting to see a lot of those champion names back on the field for Essendon.”

Worsfold will have a clearer picture of how the cohesion of the group is coming along after the JLT Community Series.

The Bombers begin their campaign on Thursday February 16 against Collingwood.

The side also plays Gold Coast (February 26) and Geelong (March 12).

“The intensity on the training track has ramped right up, so that’s a great sign for us,” Worsfold said.

“Competition for spots is enormous and we’ll use the JLT Community Series to have a look at the squad, see how it fits together with a lot of those players coming back and what the best balance of the side is going to be.”