Essendon coach Mark Thompson is confident a club-imposed suspension will benefit defender Courtenay Dempsey in the long run.

Dempsey is currently unavailable for senior selection after failing to meet the standards and expectations set by the playing group and football club.

“It has been a combination of things but it is mainly just his preparations and he is not on time for things,” Thompson said on Saturday morning.

“It annoys people, puts people out and it is not one thing in isolation.”

“We are being honest, we can’t be any more honest, that is what it is and it’s not a big thing.”

Thompson believes Dempsey will learn from the suspension and come out of it as a better player.

“This will be a good thing for him, he has got a job, we will supply him with a quality rehab program and he will come back and play VFL.”

“He knows, everyone knows when they are not on (doing the right things) and I think it will be a good thing for him in the end as he will realise how much he loves the club, loves the boys and how much he wants to play.”

The Bombers coach admitted he was not the person behind the decision, it was a decision made by the club’s leadership group.

“I was involved but it wasn’t me pushing for it, I went in and the leadership group had decided what they wanted to do and I though it was a bit harsh.”

“We have behaviors that we want to keep to and if people go outside of them then they are really noticeable because that is the minority.”

“The majority of the group are doing one hundred per cent right, they are one hundred per cent into their footy so they are saying they actually want everybody to be in that state of mind.”