Essendon's injury problems are set to ease in the new year according to skipper Dyson Heppell, but they're still cause for concern for former player Adam Cooney.
Plenty of the Bombers' key names are currently missing from their pre-season sessions, with Heppell, Joe Daniher, Michael Hurley, Orazio Fantasia, Matt Guelfi, Cale Hooker and David Zaharakis all in the treatment room.
Heppell, who on Monday announced a two-year contract extension with the club, played down the severity of the injury issues, even saying a positive may come out of it.
"It's actually been a little blessing to be honest, we've had a majority of the young players really have to drive and lead the training sessions, so I reckon their development has been huge over the last five weeks," Heppell said on SEN.
"Most of us will be back in the swing of things early in the new year."
Heppell was also asked about Daniher and Fantasia's reintegration back into the squad following a trade period in which both were reportedly close to leaving the club.
"No issue whatsoever," said the 27-year-old.
"They've come in no worries at all. Everyone has embraced them.
"Everyone has their reasons for wanting to explore their options but you'd absolutely have no idea these blokes have done that in the off-season.
"They're attacking their training really well, they've been energetic and bubbly around the club, you'd have no idea."
Daniher has struggled with groin injuries for the past two seasons and hoped a move to Sydney would help him finally get on top of his body.
A deal couldn't get done, with the contracted Daniher remaining at Tullamarine.
Heppell says the key forward is still in rehab and the club is taking a conservative, 'play it by ear' approach to his recovery.
"He's committed to getting himself right and playing plenty of footy for us next year whenever that may be," he said.
Former Bomber and 2008 Brownlow Medal winner Cooney wasn't quite as positive on the club's hopes for next season.
Having heard Heppell's comments, Cooney compared them with the 2019 Demons, who famously had a bare bones squad for pre-season before winning just five games for the year.
"I’ve got some real concerns with where Essendon are at leading into 2020," Cooney said.
"You make the obvious comparison to Melbourne straight away. You look at the amount of surgeries they had in the off-season (last year), I think it’s a serious concern.
"You need your core group out there if you are going to be any chance of contending."
Cooney warned Bombers fans that they may want to manage their expectations ahead of next season.
"I’m happy to say that I am an Essendon supporter and I am tempering my expectations on them, certainly for the first half of the year," he said.
"You look at the calibre and quality of players who are injured, I just don’t know where the group is at and I don’t know where the improvement is going to come from in 2020."
