ESSENDON has made a habit of starting seasons well before hitting the wall in recent years, but coach James Hird hopes the Bombers' early-season form will be sustainable in 2015. 

The club has overcome a difficult and interrupted pre-season with ASADA matters to start the year in impressive touch, pushing the Sydney Swans in round one and last week overcoming reigning premiers Hawthorn. 

Ahead of the Bombers' clash with rivals Carlton at the MCG on Saturday, Hird said his side's form against last year's Grand Finalists was encouraging.

In 2011, Hird's first year as coach, Essendon lost just two of its first eight games before falling away. The following season the Bombers won eight of their first nine games and then lost the last seven of the season, and in 2013 the Bombers were 6-0 before dropping five of their last six games. 

Last season, under coach Mark Thompson, the club had an excellent first three weeks before a three-match losing streak. 

Hird said the season was too young for any assessments to be made about if the form can be held. 

"It's early in the season … there's things we did well last week and there's things we didn't do as well, and we're trying to concentrate on that," Hird said on Friday. 

"Where we end up at the end of the year is a long-term thing, but at the moment we're concentrating on getting our game right and making sure the players play the way they want to and we want them to. 

"Who knows [if last week's win showed the team had matured]? You look for little signs, everyone's trying to judge if Essendon's done this or Essendon's done that, where are we? 

"I think you can only answer that question later in the year when we've put consistent performances together and that's what we're trying to do."

Certainly the signs have been good, particularly with the team's tight defence. In what was a major deficiency in the club's playing style before Hird's reign as coach began – and at stages during it – the Bombers have strengthened their team defence across the ground.

It has been on display against the Swans and Hawks, where the Bombers have conceded just 21 goals over the opening two rounds. This week their backline will regain veteran Dustin Fletcher, who has returned for his 395^th game, to replace James Gwilt. 

Hird said Fletcher, who turns 40 next month, is "definitely" in Essendon's best team and deserved to be first considered for the third-tall spot.

"We're lucky we've got a good complement of tall defenders and tall forwards and James Gwilt is very unlucky to be out of the team. But I thought Fletcher's game against Sydney was outstanding," Hird said. 

While Gwilt may be considered unlucky not to be facing the Blues, Hird said the same applies to Courtenay Dempsey, who has been named an emergency for the clash.

Dempsey battled with a plantar fascia injury in his foot in the pre-season after Christmas, but is likely to return to the senior side in coming weeks.

"He's certainly in our best 22 when he's fit and firing. We would like to play him very soon, we would just like to get some really good game time into him so we know he's 100 per cent match fit," Hird said. 

"Courtenay is an excellent player and we can't wait to have in back in the team, but we're at a position now where we can make sure everyone who comes into the team is ready to play. 

"It won't be long before we see Courtenay as long as his form's there and he stays fit." 

The selection highlights Essendon's depth at the moment, with third-year defenders Martin Gleeson and Jason Ashby holding their spots ahead of Dempsey. 

Last year the Bombers rushed Dempsey back for the Anzac Day clash when he was underdone after a poor pre-season, but Hird said there were no complaints like that this time around. 

"There's no issues at all, he's training really hard. He's disappointed he's not in the team, like everyone who's not in the team. He's trained hard, he's fit, his skinfolds are down under where we want them, he's running great times in pre-season now. He just needs a little more football," he said.