AFTER an emotion-charged week, Essendon coach James Hird says it is time for his players to focus on football and the stiff challenge of taking on the Sydney Swans on their home turf on Saturday.
For the first time in two seasons, the Bombers will play without the supplements saga hanging over their heads after the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal this week cleared 34 past and present players of allegedly using the banned drug thymosin beta-4 in 2012.
While the threat of an Australian Sport Anti-Doping Authority appeal looms, Hird said the playing group was ready to move on and the emotions that followed the not guilty verdict would be in the past once the ball was bounced.
"We're just going to play footy. The events of earlier in the week are finished," Hird said.
"We really haven't spoken about it since Wednesday and we're ready to move on."
Hird said he paid no attention to ASADA chief Ben McDevitt's media conference on Wednesday when he declared an appeal was a "live option".
"I haven't read a paper or listened to Ben McDevitt in the whole time he's been there, so I don't think I would start now," he said.
The Bombers have included 13 players for round one who sat out the NAB Challenge while they awaited the tribunal's verdict.
Among those to return are skipper Jobe Watson, Dyson Heppell, Michael Hurley, Cale Hooker, Dustin Fletcher and Jake Carlisle.
In a surprise move, Carlisle has been named in defence after playing most of last season as a forward under interim coach Mark Thompson, but Hird stopped short of declaring it a full-time swap for the 198cm big man.
"We'll see. Obviously they've got some reasonably good forwards, the Sydney Swans," he said.
"Whether (Kurt) Tippett ends up playing or not will depend on exactly how we line up.
"We're looking forward to obviously having our best players in their best positions."
Tippett has been named in a forward pocket alongside Bombers nemesis Lance Franklin, who has booted 55 goals in 11 career matches against the Dons.
"Buddy's obviously an extremely good player. He's hard to play on because of his athleticism and his good football brain," Hird said.
"We need to do some work on that. We've got our ideas to stop him, but they haven't worked in the past so we've changed a little bit and we'll see what happens."
Despite a tough training regime for the players who didn't take part in the NAB Challenge, Hird is unsure how well those Dons will run out a full game in round one.
Former Western Bulldogs speedster Adam Cooney has been included for his first game for the Dons and should provide run and carry, while dashing youngster Jason Ashby will travel as an emergency.
However, Bombers veteran Jason Winderlich is unlikely to be sighted during the early rounds as he battles an ongoing back complaint.
"It's not great. Jase's back's reasonably sore. He's obviously had a bad back six or seven years ago," Hird said.
"We'll give him a little bit of time. We want to get him right and make sure that he has a good year and not risk him in the first few rounds.
"We want some good football out of him (in the) middle to later in the year."
