It has been almost four years since Chris Heffernan pulled on the Essendon jumper. He played the last of his 97 games with Essendon in 2002 before being traded to Melbourne. But the AFL wheel has turned and he finds himself back at Essendon and just a couple of days away from wearing the red and black colours again.

Heffernan will line up for Essendon against Sydney at North Sydney Oval on Friday night. It might only be an exhibition but for Heffernan it will still be an important step in his return to the Bombers. He spent a frustrating three years at Melbourne and knows that at 26 years of age it is now or never for him.

Essendon fans know exactly what a fit and confident Heffernan is capable of – he was one of the stars for the Bombers when the Club dominated the 2000 season and capped it off with a Premiership. He will slot into a midfield role in 2006 and coach Kevin Sheedy firmly believes he can get him back to his best.

""I am really looking forward to Friday night and pulling on the Essendon jumper again. We have had a couple of intra club practice matches and the boys are very keen to play some good football,"" Heffernan said today.

""After a long pre-season you can't wait to get into a competitive game of football. We all know it is only an exhibition match but it is important we get some cohesion among the group heading into the NAB Cup match against Brisbane the following weekend.

""The players certainly aren't questioning the worth of this game. I know it is a cliché but winning becomes a habit and we would like to get on track early by playing well against Sydney.""

Essendon has named a reasonably strong side to take on Sydney although a number of key players are still missing, including James Hird who withdrew today because of a groin niggle. A number of younger Essendon players that would normally be tested in this game will miss with niggling injuries. The latest newcomer to succumb is rookie Heath Hocking who strained a quad muscle at training this morning.