ESSENDON'S 65-point loss to a red-hot Adelaide has left coach John Worsfold unsure of his side's place in the premiership race, confessing the Dons "hit the wall" after a hot start to the season.
The Bombers were blitzed by the Crows in the opening half at Adelaide Oval, conceding 15 goals to the long break, and Worsfold cautioned Bombers fans about expecting too much of his side in 2017.
Instead he said more time was needed to resettle the team now the full list of players was available after WADA-imposed doping bans wrecked the club's 2016 season.
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"We're trying to work out where we sit,'' Worsfold said.
"We know we've got a lot of improvement in us but right now, we've beaten Hawthorn and certainly don't underestimate the way the guys came out in that first game, which was such a massive game for our footy club, and we backed it up beating Brisbane on the road.
"But we've hit the wall a bit in the last couple of weeks. It gives us an idea about how much work we've got to do."
Ten Essendon players returned to the club during the off-season after serving 12-month suspensions and Worsfold said the challenge that group faced in regaining match fitness was among the reasons for the Dons' inconsistency.
He said returning champion Jobe Watson was "out on his feet" in the final term as he strived to regain match fitness.
WATCH: John Worsfold's full post-match press conference
"That would be one possible reason,'' he said.
"It's hard to assess that (the effect of the suspension on the group) it's unknown.
"We've got that many players coming back together and we've talked regularly about it. We've got to build that understanding of each other...We've got to find out where our fitness levels are right now."
The Dons laid just 17 tackles against a super-slick Adelaide side to half-time and Worsfold said he was disappointed in the lack of pressure his side applied to a team he believed was playing premiership football.
"What bothered me the me most was that first quarter-and-a-half, just how far off the mark we were,'' Worsfold said.
"How much slicker Adelaide looked in terms of winning the quarter and being able to go forward really quickly and sharply...
"You can't tackle if they've got the footy and got it in space. We needed to address that... just our work around the contest was a lot short of what we expect from each other."
Worsfold said he took positives from the Bombers' third term, where they outscored the Crows but were inaccurate, kicking 3.7.
"To the boys' credit they certainly addressed that (the lack of pressure) and showed some good signs in the second half," he said.
