ESSENDON will take stock of its available list on Wednesday, but may need to sign only three more former AFL players ahead of its first NAB Challenge game next month.
After revealing its first batch of five 'top-up' players on Tuesday, all recent AFL delistings, the club's list management team will meet to decide how many more recruits are required for the pre-season competition.
Former Brisbane Lions half-forward James Polkinghorne, who has committed to playing with Essendon's VFL squad, could be one of the next group of replacement players who sign short-term contracts, while ex-Collingwood rookie Michael Hartley is also in consideration.
Essendon football manager Rob Kerr said he would meet with list manager Adrian Dodoro on Wednesday to see how the club's available list of players was shaping up and if any positional requirements still needed to be met.
"We want to draw a bit of breath and go back and revisit it and see where we sit," Kerr told AFL.com.au.
"Adrian and I have to sit down and look at the costings and those things and want to get a good handle on where we're currently positioned from a whole range of perspectives before we go again.
"We'll make a decision from there on if we need any other players, what types and who they are."
Essendon has already verbally agreed to sign Mitch Brown (formerly of Geelong), Jared Petrenko (Adelaide), Clint Jones (St Kilda) and James Magner and Mitch Clisby (Melbourne) as top-ups, with the players to complete medical testing on Thursday.
Kerr met with the AFL and AFL Players' Association on Tuesday to discuss the contractual arrangements and conditions for the players in the unique circumstances.
He said there would be two categories of players who helped fill the Essendon side: short-term contracted players who have been delisted in the past two years, like Petrenko and Jones, and another group of state league players who don't fall under that category but may be required to step up in the NAB Challenge if the Bombers are short on players.
"We think we'll use maybe eight of our state league players and also add some of those delisted AFL players as well," Kerr said.
"But if we happen to find ourselves short because there's a bit of a challenge injury wise with those remaining AFL-listed players, then we could go to another state league club and get a few players from there as well."
Health and income insurance, relocation solutions, and equipment entitlements for the players were among the contract details discussed between Essendon, AFLPA and the AFL.
Termination clauses are different for the additional players to what they would be normally under AFL rules, with the total cost of the situation to be "significant" to the club.
The 25 Essendon players who were at the club during 2012 will not be available for the NAB Challenge after agreeing to sit out the competition to protect the anonymity of the 18 or so players who are provisionally suspended through the ASADA saga.
Nick Kommer (knee) and Kurt Aylett (hamstring) arrived at the club after the 2012 season and would have been available to play if not for injury.
The Bombers' NAB Challenge series starts on March 7 against St Kilda, before they face Greater Western Sydney on March 13 and Melbourne on March 20.
