MARK McVeigh is over his broken toe and should resume full training by next week.

The 27-year-old midfielder is a key figure in an Essendon side that will hope to challenge for the eight this year after finishing 12th in 2008.

McVeigh played just 14 games last year after hamstring and knee woes but still managed to be the sixth-highest ranked Bomber for disposals.

New assistant coach Alan Richardson said the 176-game veteran was progressing nicely, although he might not be ready for Essendon's first NAB Cup match against the Bulldogs in Darwin in a month.

"He's probably going to join in full training next week, certainly by the end of the week," Richardson said from La Trobe University's Bundoora campus on Friday.

"He's not far away. He was lucky enough because he's got quite a few pre-seasons under the belt so that'll stand him in pretty good stead, and he had a month of solid training prior to the toe.

"When you couple that with his training history, the fact that he's had to miss five or six weeks is potentially going to be a bit of a win for him, because he hasn't been flogging himself."

Centre half-forward Scott Lucas was another important player who had a season stalled by a knee injury, but he's also looking good.

"He's going really well – he missed a bit of our earlier stuff, certainly pre-Christmas he was just rehab, but up at our camp up at Coffs Harbour and since we've been back from the break he's joined in," Richardson said.

"Every now and again he'll jump out of certain activities, but certainly when there's any activity around forward structure, where we need to be becoming predictable in terms of an understanding between midfield and forward-line work, he's very much involved.

"He's doing probably 95 per cent of all our training now."

Others to catch the eye of the coaches on the track ranged from old to new.

Richardson said captain Matthew Lloyd's enthusiasm has been "incredible" while Jobe Watson and Henry Slattery have posted impressive results in their athletic testing.

"One that might surprise you, as he hasn't actually been on the track with the group yet, has been Brent Prismall," he said, referring to Essendon's October trade week signing.

"It's well known he's come across from Geelong having had the knee reco, and his professionalism has been outstanding. He's clearly won the respect of the group with the way he's gone about his rehab.

"Dustin Fletcher – I'd put him in the same bracket [as Matthew Lloyd]. He's always got the ball in his hands, he's always there having a kick before training before other people have even thought about getting out here.

"The young blokes have been in and out of the program a bit (due to modified programs), but (Michael) Hurley, our first round pick at number five, looks like he's going to be a pretty special player for us."