Essendon senior assistant coach Mark Thompson has taken a more hands on role with the recruiting department at the Club ahead of this week’s AFL Draft on the Gold Coast.

Thompson said he has played a more significant role in assisting the recruiting department so far this pre-season.

“I have spent a lot more time this year in recruiting,” Thompson said on Friday.

“I love it, I have an eye for talent and I am helping the recruiting staff pick and we are all making decisions together.”

“I think we are going to get some very good players in the future.”

The Club's decision to delist forward Ariel Steinberg, and guarantee him a spot on the rookie list, means it enters the rookie draft with no live selections.

It is retaining rookies Cory Dell'Olio, Lauchlan Dalgleish and Hal Hunter for 2013.

Thompson confirmed on Friday the club had sorted its rookie list, and hinted the club might look to pick some players who "had been in the system for two or three years."

There is also the option to hold a pick for the pre-season draft, although Thompson suggested it was unlikely the club would participate in that draft.

Thompson said Steinberg's delisting was in part due to the club's focus at the draft.

"We wanted some picks," he said.

"We've put a lot of work into the draft, and we know exactly what we want to get, and we just needed one more spot.”

Essendon will take picks 10, 35, 52, 55, 75, 89 and 101 to the national draft. It has already committed to using its first selection on Joe Daniher, and will use selection 106 on upgrading rookie Mark Baguley.

Thompson said the pre-season was always an exciting time of the year when you are able to spend more contact time with players and help them in their development.

“You get to spend a lot of time working on their skills.”

“We certainly have to improve our game, even when we were winning games last year we weren’t playing exactly how we wanted to play.”

“This gives us four or five months where we can hone in, get a lot of contact time with them and hopefully we get some massive benefits out of it.”