AS SEVERAL Bombers appear ready to return from injury this weekend, Essendon has "eased off" its training load to ensure the fitness of its players.

Courtenay Dempsey (hamstring), Nathan Lovett-Murray (hamstring), and Mark McVeigh (calf) are all set to return to face the Brisbane Lions on Saturday, as is Travis Colyer, who has overcome a broken thumb.

Essendon football manager Paul Hamilton said the club had been reviewing the reasons behind its spate of injuries early in the year, with the change in fitness program a contributing factor.

Hamilton also said the club has completed its load of high-intensity training, and has now tapered off.

"We were quite aware going into the season that we were still going through a high workload in those early weeks," he said on Wednesday.

"We've eased right off in that area so it is certainly a freshening up time for our players, lightening their loads and ensuring that everyone's bodies are sound."

Hamilton said there might be some things the club would do differently if it could have its time again, but that the program was implemented to deliver long-term results.

"It was a hard pre-season. The eight-week block - from five weeks out from the season and the first three weeks [of the season] - was still a hard training block," Hamilton said.

"We look back on that and say we're looking to get them bigger, we're looking to get them stronger and we're looking to get them fitter, and we think we've achieved a lot of those aims.

"In doing so, there's been a few casualties."

One casualty is key forward Michael Hurley, who has been ruled out Saturday's game and is unlikely to face West Coast in round seven.

Hurley injured his hamstring in Essendon's round four win over Carlton.

Callum Twomey is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.