ESSENDON is intent on attaining the signature of key defender Michael Hurley, but coach John Worsfold doesn't believe any recommitment is imminent for the All Australian backman.

Following Cale Hooker's decision to sign a five-year deal with the club through to the end of 2021, more focus will turn to Hurley, whose contract expires at the end of 2017.

The club is keen to sign the star defender beyond that point and has been in constant dialogue with his management group, but Hurley has not yet signed on to return to the Bombers when his 12-month doping ban ends.

Hooker became the third suspended player – joining Heath Hocking and Travis Colyer – to re-sign with the club for next year but Worsfold said he did not expect any announcement on Hurley's future in the short-term.

"Not that I know of," he said on Wednesday.

"I'm not heavily involved in the contractual discussions, but I am heavily involved in just keeping in touch with the players."

Meanwhile, the Bombers coach was quick to deny the club had to consider the potential compensation pick it would have received had it lost Hooker as a free agent to another club.

The unrestricted free agent could have walked to a rival, which would have seen the Bombers likely receive a first-round draft selection.

If the Bombers finish last, they would have been awarded pick No.2 in November's NAB AFL Draft, along with the No.1 selection for collecting the wooden spoon.

However, Worsfold said the possible draft bonanza hadn't crossed his mind in his role in keeping Hooker at Essendon.

 "I hadn't [thought about it]. I don't even understand how that [compensation] rule works. I would've had to go back to school to figure all of that out," he said.

The lengthy and lucrative deal given to Hooker comes after Essendon's disastrous performance on Anzac Day, when they conceded eight goals in the first term to Collingwood and lost by 69 points.

Worsfold said the news that last year's best and fairest winner would be returning next year should please the players still at Essendon but that it shouldn't dictate their form or effort.

"I'd hate to think that you'd get a little bit of good news like that and you're now going to be a better performing team on the field," Worsfold said.

"But obviously long-term when Cale Hooker's on the field for us it's going to have a massive impact and for us as a group at the moment, our focus is to perform with strong competitive efforts consistently, which we're not quite there yet."

Essendon faces Carlton on Sunday at the MCG, with the Blues fresh from beating Fremantle at Domain Stadium last week.