Essendon recruit Matt Dea says the Club’s training standards have remained at a high level despite the events of the last month. 

Dea is one of seven new recruits to join the Club following the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 

The former Richmond player said the Bombers coaching staff are continuing to push the group in the lead up to the start of the home and away season. 

“From the moment I walked in the door and met Woosha and the other coaches you could tell that they haven’t switched off by any means,” Dea told SEN. 

“Training has been rock solid and everyone has got a point to prove. 

“There are young players that want to show they can play at the level and also guys like myself that want to show they deserve a second chance.”

James Kelly has also joined the Bombers for the 2016 season and said he took an instant liking to John Worsfold when the Club enquired about the three-time premiership-winning Cat making a return to the AFL.

“I really got a good feeling once I got off the phone to him,” Kelly told 5AA.

“I thought to myself, this is someone I’d really like to work for. 

“We were sort of on the same page with a lot of things, philosophically with the way the game is played and the way the Club is run.

“He was really clear with me about everything and I was really clear with him about where I stood and we ended up on the same page so it went from there.”

Kelly said despite his limited preparation, he was still aiming to play most of the season.

“We want to keep it pretty fluid.  Obviously I want to be able to play as much footy as I can,” he said.

“I understand that I’m 32 years old and I’ve had five months out of the game, so there is a bit of give and take.

“If I could play 15-18 games, I reckon that’s a good par at this stage given a limited pre-season.”