Essendon were bolstered by several returning players in their AFL and VFL fixtures over the weekend.

Sam Draper, Mason Redman and Xavier Duursma each got through full games in the Bombers’ 30-point win over West Coast on Sunday afternoon, providing a boost to Essendon’s depth around the ground leading into the business end of the season.

Midfielder Ben Hobbs has pulled up well following his first game back from a calf injury, collecting 22 disposals on managed minutes in the VFL side’s loss to Gold Coast, while Will Setterfield (23 touches) also got through the VFL clash without issue after initially being listed as a test due to knee soreness.

Darcy Parish is making steady progress in his recovery from a calf injury and will continue to increase his training loads this week, while Kaine Baldwin continues to deload his training after a minor irritation of his foot injury last week.