Essendon look set to welcome back All-Australian midfielder Darcy Parish, star ruckman Sam Draper and emerging talent Ben Hobbs for this weekend's clash against Sydney.
Coach Brad Scott suspects all will be made medically available ahead of Thursday night's team reveal, revealing their selection will come down to training performance.
Draper has played three VFL matches in preparation for his return after undergoing major groin surgery in September last year.
While Scott has remained cautious with his star ruck and turned to veteran recruit Todd Goldstein to carry the load in his absence, Draper's selection seems likely.
"Let's do everything we can to get him back to the Sam Draper that we know and not just try and rush him back because he makes our team look better on paper," coach Brad Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
"Provided he trains well, I suspect we'll pick him."
2021 All-Australian and Anzac Day medallist Darcy Parish should also be fit for selection after his brief stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
While he will add significantly to the ball-winning capabilities in the Bomber midfield, there is sensible debate about whether the position of emerging star Archie Perkins could be compromised with Parish's selection.
"I suspect he'll (Parish) be made medically available," Scott revealed.
"It will come down to more of a coaching decision rather than a medical decision.
"If he's medically available and trains well then he'll play."
The last of the lot is explosive 20-year-old Ben Hobbs, who suffered a pre-season setback in February with a shoulder injury during match simulation.
He was initially expected to return before the start of the season, but has been held back to allow a full recovery in his AC joint.
"He's had a terrific preseason, he had a really unfortunate injury in terms of timing," Scott said about his young star.
"He's ready to play AFL footy... he'll come into our team, whether it's this week or next week."
Veteran Dylan Shiel remains a test with his foot injury, but will take some time to re-enter the lineup, having not played a competitive match since early July last year.
Downplaying the return of the 31-year-old, Scott indicated some more time is needed for Shiel's selection.
"He's just missed a lot of footy... almost a year since he's played some footy," he added.
"It's just great to see him back out there but I think he needs some more work."
On the decision to not challenge Mason Redman's suspension for striking Hawthorn mid Jai Newcombe, Scott revealed that the club were informed this was a case not worth fighting.
"Our advice was that he had no chance of winning an appeal," he said.
"It would be negligent to give up $10,000 of our soft cap to try and challenge an un-winnable appeal."
While Redman will be sidelined for one week, the potential for three crucial additions provides a silver lining for Scott's Bombers, who meet Sydney at the SCG this Saturday night in hopes of a 2-0 start to 2024.
