AFTER an off-season trip to Qatar and a key appointment at Essendon, important forward Kyle Langford finally has confidence his soft-tissue problems are behind him.

Essendon finished last year with an astonishing 16 players on its injury list, and brought in highly regarded strength and conditioning boss Mat Inness from West Coast after the season.

Langford spent some time at Aspetar, a private facility in Doha that specialises in elite sports medicine, after managing just nine games last year due to quad and hamstring issues.

"[Inness] been really good, almost a breath of fresh air. We had 'Murph' (Sean Murphy) for a number of years, I think, when someone comes in and you get a change, [it brings] something almost reinvigorating into the program. He brings a massive focus of high-intensity running – sessions probably aren't as long, but they're definitely more intense in that top-end running," Langford told reporters on Wednesday.

"I went away to Aspetar (in Qatar) throughout the break, got some really good results and feedback, and then at training, Matty's been great. Dave Regan (new senior strength and conditioning coach) in the gym as well – It's been a really good one-two combo. I've had a really good pre-season, and I think that's a really good base for the season.

"We were able to assess the injuries from last year and the initial hamstring, I think was just an unlucky circumstance. It's almost a perfect mechanism for a hamstring, and the quad was probably just a bit of loading thing. So we learnt that as long as I'm in the right program, my body will be fine, so it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward."

Zach Merrett stood down as Essendon captain at the end of last year after his failed bid to move to Hawthorn, with vice-captain Andy McGrath taking the reins for 2026. 

Langford said Merrett had addressed the tumultuous events with the playing group.

"He's actually been no different. He's been an ultimate competitor on the track and then off the track, he leads how he was so (it's been a) really seamless transition coming into the program, and the guys have no issue with him," he said.

"I've got no idea what's going on Zach's head and Zach's camp (around his future), but right now, he's committed to this football club, and he's playing with us for the next, what is it, nine months? Or whatever it might be. So again, we're really excited. We didn't want him to go. He's such an important part of this group and this team, and when you're one of the best players in the comp, you don't just let him go."

Langford is the face of the changing Bombers – having just turned 29 in December, he's the third-oldest on their list behind Peter Wright (also 29) and Merrett (30) – noting with a hint of alarm that the newest batch of draftees were born in 2006.

The players took to the track on Wednesday with the lightest of training runs before a fan meet-and-greet during the school holidays. 

Runners, not footy boots, were the order of the day, and assistant coaches were constantly reminding players to walk through their handball drills, rather than run, with a major session earmarked for Friday.

Will Setterfield (foot), Harry Jones (ankle) and draftee Sullivan Robey (back) all took part, but such was the relaxed pace of the session, it was impossible to get a gauge on fitness.

Langford said star midfielder Darcy Parish was being carefully managed after a series of calf concerns limited him to just three games last year.

"Obviously, we're probably lacking that No.1 ruck at the moment (with Nick Bryan rehabbing a torn ACL and Sam Draper now at Brisbane), so it's been a really good opportunity for (Lachie) Blakiston and Vigo (Visentini) to get a crack in there, Archie May might even had a little swing through there," Langford said.

"Darcy has great pre-season so far, again, a slightly modified program. It's a long year, we want him to be playing footy. No point being the best on track in December-January. 

"He's been really impressive with our main sessions, and the group's been really good at monitoring him throughout the week and making sure that he's getting up each session, recovering really well. So hopefully Darcy really bounces back, we really need him in that midfield."