To let Michael Hibberd go wouldn't be the worst thing. Credit:Getty Images On many fronts Essendon have made almost all they possibly could out of a season that was always going to involve more losses than wins. There's no guarantee the promise they have shown in the past few weeks will automatically roll on, or that slotting six or more of the suspended 12 back into the line-up this year will lead to an immediate leap into the top half of the ladder. Integrating the suspended players back into the group after such a long time away will be a challenge for John Worsfold, if a very pleasant one. The team did finish third last in (an emotional, draining and difficult-for-other-reasons) 2015, and the forward line in particular needs work. Still, Zach Merrett, Joe Daniher, Darcy Parish, Orazio Fantasia, the briefly-seen Mason Redman and the soon-to-be-seen Aaron Francis are reasons for supporters to feel optimistic about the future of their team for the first time in some time..

Michael Hurley: The banned Bomber on many clubs' wishlist. Credit:Patrick Scala Kyle Langford has learnt a lot and looked good. Jayden Laverde has been held up by injury but done some exciting things in his first couple of games back. Michael Hartley has been a good addition to the backline. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti has – almost on his own – been a reason to watch the Bombers play. it wouldn't feel right for Jobe Watson's career to end in a a New York coffee shop. Credit:Penny Stephens Essendon should really be sitting on three wins ahead of this week's game against Brisbane, having blown good chances against St Kilda and Richmond in the last two rounds, and have lasted longer in their last couple of games than they have for much of the year.

They have created some hope and promise, which is why the final thing on the Bombers' to-do list could actually cause them a few headaches in the next month or two. Six of the suspended players have recommitted to the club for next year and beyond: Dyson Heppell, Cale Hooker, Travis Colyer, David Myers, Tom Bellchambers and Heath Hocking. Heppell and Hooker are on big, long-term deals. The others have won some money and time they would not have got at other clubs. The remaining six will all come back if they want to come back. They deserve that choice, which the club has rightly promised them. But with the way things are shaping up, it might actually help Essendon if two or three of them want to go elsewhere or decide against playing on next year.

Michael Hurley is the key re-signing. The Bombers want and need him back badly. He's worth much more than they would get in any trade. He could come back, play out the last year of his contract and then make a decision on his future as a free agent. That won't happen though: whether he stays or asks the club to let him start over somewhere new it will be on a very large, long-term contract. The rest are interesting. Michael Hibberd's best footy is very good: disciplined, dynamic and skilful. On age and ability he is certainly a player Essendon would want to keep, perhaps behind only Heppell, Hurley and Hooker. It can be easy to forget what players can do when they're not right in front of you. That said, the Bombers have shovelled a lot of money towards Hooker and Heppell, and will do the same for their centre half-back should he come home from his holiday and tell them he wants to stay.

They are yet to sign Laverde and Gleeson (they should), and salary cap increase aside will have to keep some room clear for Merrett, Parish, Daniher and others' future deals. They also have a slight squeeze on for list spots, with six or more returning, at least three new draftees to make room for and a pre-season draft pick to potentially make more room for. McDonald-Tipungwuti needs to come up from the rookie list and top-up defender Matt Dea will be worth considering in the draft,draft, particularly should Hibberd choose to leave. Jackson Merrett is contracted for another year but Jason Ashby and Shaun Edwards' deals are up. James Gwilt, Shaun McKernan, Adam Cooney, Courtenay Dempsey and Nick Kommer are also out. Discussions with Brendon Goddard over a one- or two-year deal are still going. To let Hibberd go wouldn't be the worst thing. It would get Essendon a decent draft pick. It would save them some money. And as damaging a player as he has been and could still be, half-back flankers aren't too tough to find. The others won't make the same difference. It's impossible to see Brent Stanton playing anywhere but Essendon. Tayte Pears has a new career as a firefighter to get started in, and won't be coming back.

Ben Howlett may get some low-level interest elsewhere, which could also suit the club, though it's unlikely; he's been a solid foot soldier and like Myers and Hocking, his best option is probably to be a Bomber again. Then there is Jobe Watson, a special case. It wouldn't seem right for him to finish up at another club. It wouldn't feel right to anyone at Essendon if his career ends in a New York coffee shop. Should Hurley stay, Essendon will have done extremely well, under enormous pressure, to keep the key members of the 12 together. They have also done well to bring Merrett, Fantasia, Langford and Laverde in while dealing with their draft bans. The Bombers have also done well – in a one-win season splattered with some very heavy defeats – to start moving forward and give those players something encouraging to come back to. Even if that creates complications in two, three or more years, when they are really ready to get moving.