Essendon's coach Mark Thompson was absent from the practice session after being hit by flu. His assistant, Simon Goodwin, took over the charge.

However, Goodwin confirmed Thompson will be back definitely before the Saturday night match against St Kilda.

"There's been a bit of a virus going through the club for the last 10 days and he's got it, I'm sure he'll be back to his joking best in the next couple of days ... We've pretty much said to anyone who gets crook, stay away from the team, and see if we can get rid of this bug ... We're missing a few staff members. It's ripping through the club ... It's a combination of flu symptoms plus some gastro-type stuff," Goodwin stated.

Essendon and St Kilda are currently standing on a positive place, and Goodwin is sure to have some big names returning to the squad. Both teams started the season with 2-2.

David Myers, who had to pull out because of illness, is expected to join back the team, alongside Paul Chapman and Dustin Fletcher. Chances of ruckman Paddy Ryder being back in the team cannot be ruled out, alongside Tom Bellchambers.

"It has been a little concern for the group ... But it certainly didn't affect the way we played ... We have Paul Chapman, Dustin Fletcher, David Myers and Paddy Ryder coming back ... So we've got some really exciting players coming back into the side," Goodman added.

In other news, Bombers' key man Brendon Goddard, however, may not be available in the upcoming match, following his injury.

"He's highly doubtful ... He has a slight groin (injury) and we don't really want to risk our players at this time of the year," Goodwin added.

As some key players were sidelined for injury and a hope of return for those feeling better, Bombers are definitely looking forward to tighten up to face the next action.