Ben Howlett says he and the returning players are progressing well as they prepare to make their comeback to the AFL arena.

The Bombers are almost at the half way point of their pre-season.

After a year away from the game, Howlett admits the body contact work is taking some extra time to adapt to, but aerobically the returning players are performing well.

“The other day we were given a comparison between last pre-season and this pre-season and all of the returning guys are well ahead of where we were last year, so if that’s an indicator of how far we’ve come and how fresh we’re feeling then it’s very exciting,” Howlett told Sportsday.

“I feel great and couldn’t have had a better year in terms of getting fit and getting away from the crash and bash, especially for myself always being in and under and copping the brunt of the tackles.

“Obviously you don’t get the game knocks, which is what we’re trying to replicate now in the pre-season.  That’s taking some adjusting but I’m loving every minute at the moment.”

Howlett trained alongside teammates throughout 2016 under the guidance of premiership player Sean Wellman and former Collingwood and Carlton fitness boss David Buttifant.

“The game has gone to a different level in terms of speed and endurance and ‘Butters’ was able to replicate that really well,” Howlett said.

“There were times where a lot of us thought about walking away from the game, but getting together really got us through it. 

“Training hard and pushing each other was the factor that made us want to comeback and enjoy football and strive for success.”

The 28 year old with 117 games under his belt said he initially found watching AFL games difficult, but regular chats with John Worsfold and the development of Essendon’s young players helped him rediscover his enthusiasm for the game.

“He (Worsfold) was brilliant throughout the year for the returning guys. 

“The culture he’s brought to the Club and what he’s been doing with the younger guys – that was a big thing for the guys returning to know exactly how this Club is developing, it was a big factor in us coming back.

“It’s exciting  - you look at the younger guys last year who were able to come on really well – Zach Merrett, Orazio Fantasia, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti – they’ve got the experience behind them now. 

“Then you add in the likes of Andrew McGrath and one of the other young boys that I’m really interested in is Josh Begley – we call him the ‘fridge’ – he’s the Ollie Wines type and he’s looking a beauty so I’m really excited to see how those young guys go.”