New coach Brad Scott has moved to temper AFL finals expectations around Essendon for next year, declaring it will take time to develop his young playing group.
Scott has targeted improvement across the board in his first season at the helm and won't mimic brother Chris' successful strategy at Geelong, instead opting to build his own brand and a versatile game plan.
That, the former North Melbourne coach believes, will require patience internally as well as from a success-starved Bombers supporter base that has not tasted a finals victory in 18 years.
Essendon finished 15th last season under Ben Rutten after reaching an elimination final the previous year.
"I've been impressed with the capability on our list but the reality is, and the facts are, that they're very young and they're going to take time to develop," Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
"Therefore, the team is going to take a bit of time to get right.
"But we're just really focused on each day making sure that we're progressing and so far, so good in terms of pre-season.
"Everything that we're coaching and drilling we're seeing transfer through in training.
"That's the pleasing part but in terms of (finals) projections, we don't get too involved in that. We're just trying to be the best we can right now."
Scott is also in no rush to select a captain, with long-time skipper Dyson Heppell no certainty to continue in the role he inherited from Jobe Watson six seasons ago.
Heppell, 30, weighed up interest from Gold Coast before signing a one-year extension with the Bombers and has impressed his new coach over pre-season.
But Scott said it could take until the end of February for Essendon to settle on the make-up of next year's leadership group.
"(Heppell) is in fantastic physical shape and he's battled injury the last couple of years, but his start to pre-season has been exceptional," Scott said.
"To me, as a coach, to have your captain and most senior player come back and set the example like that has just been fantastic.
"Zach Merrett, Andy McGrath and the others have fallen in as well and set a great example."
Scott, who coached the Kangaroos from 2010 to 2019 before taking up an administrative role at league headquarters, was appointed Essendon coach in late September after the club's failed bid to land Alastair Clarkson.
The 46-year-old admitted there was some "trepidation" about returning to coaching but has settled in well at Tullamarine.
"I really feel very comfortable back in the routine and that's probably easy to say in December," Scott said.
"There's still the cut and thrust of win-loss and the week to week cycle (of a season to come) but I've been pleasantly surprised about just how good I feel about it."
