ESSENDON veteran Brendon Goddard says the Bombers can win a premiership in the next few years and put the devastating recent past behind them.

The Bombers sit 10th, but have shown they can take it up to most teams. Goddard said there is no reason why the squad can’t achieve the "ultimate success" this year or in the near future.

“There’s no ceiling now on what we can achieve as a football club,” he said.

Goddard’s premiership aspirations were dashed last year when 12 senior players received year-long anti-doping suspensions. The club turned to the former Saint to lead them through one of their most challenging seasons.

“Ideally I wouldn’t have been the captain .. .because [banned] teammates still would have been here and we still would have been playing together,” he said in the third episode of The Chase series.

Goddard, 32, said the suspensions forced him to alter his high hopes for the 2016 season.

“During that time, it took me to change my expectations around what was achievable, and once I was able to do that playing footy was actually really enjoyable and quite easy,” he said.

In his 15th season, Goddard is enjoying one of his best years yet, ranking in the top five at Essendon for disposals, contested possessions, score involvements, marks and clearances.