Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd can understand the uncertainty about what the Bombers will do this AFL season - because the team aren't sure themselves.

The Bombers have already shown some promising signs to begin their new era, reaching the semi-finals of the NAB Cup. Essendon have replaced legendary coach Kevin Sheedy with Matthew Knights and also farewelled James Hird, arguably the finest player in the club's history.

Lloyd said the Bombers have a quiet confidence about what they might do this year, but know it will be hard work.

"It's exciting because before the NAB Cup started, most people thought 'aw gee, we're not going to get much from Essendon, they'll be bottom three or four'," he said.

"People aren't sure now whether it was a flash in the pan. "We're pretty excited, we're not sure ourselves - I'm not going to be guaranteeing top eights and all that sort of thing.

"But we'll play the Kangaroos and Geelong in the first two rounds and what we have got out of the pre-season is that every team we've played, we thought we were good enough to beat them.

"Maybe we wouldn't have thought that (before) the first game (of the NAB Cup) started." Lloyd missed most of the pre-season matches with hamstring soreness and only returned for the practice match against West Coast.

But the goal-kicking machine is buoyed by the performance of another star forward last season.

"In an ideal world, I would have loved to have had some more game time," he said. "But I didn't want to go into round one sore.

"Jonathan Brown last year, (he) gives you a bit of hope in that he probably wasn't at full-gear until midway through the season ... I might start off a bit slower than I would have hoped, just because my touch might not be there.

"I think I will be better off for the long run."

Brown, the Brisbane powerhouse, won All-Australian selection for the first time last year.

Lloyd, who is 30 next month, pointed to another AFL star, St Kilda veteran Robert Harvey, when asked about what he thought of the new era at Windy Hill.

Like Harvey, Lloyd wants to be around for the next premiership at his club.

"How long will it take at Essendon (before you're) in a position where you are playing in a preliminary final?," he said.

"Will I still be around for it?

"I'm loving the ride and I'm contracted at least for next year as well.

"I will hang around as long as I can while this group is still developing." AAP