Many people might raise their eyebrows if I said that even though Essendon have struggled to put more than one win on the board and have a losing streak of 16 games, this has actually been one of the more enjoyable years I have had in the AFL.

It's amazing how you feel when the expectation of winning and losing is reduced, something I have not felt since I was in my late teens and trying to force my way into the senior side at St Kilda.

Essendon skipper Brendon Goddard says success has been in improvement, not wins. Credit:AFL Media/Getty Images

What started off as the worst year conceivable for any football club in AFL/VFL history has turned out to be something quite fulfilling.

Initially, it was very tough to get my head around. I was thinking about worst-case scenarios, as many people naturally do. I wondered how the club and playing group were going to deal with the fall-out from the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision.