Don deal: Woosha re-signs

ESSENDON expects midfielder Zach Merrett to be fit to take on Fremantle in Perth on Saturday night but forward Orazio Fantasia is likely to make his return from a knee injury through the VFL.

Merrett did not join in the Bombers’ main training at Tullamarine yesterday, instead doing individual drills away to the side after suffering a concussion against Adelaide last Friday night.

Coach John Worsfold said while a final decision was up to medical staff he expected Merrett to be available for selection after passing a cognitive test on Monday.

Fantasia did take part in match simulation at training and looked to be moving well but is more likely to take on Frankston in Round 1 of the VFL on Saturday, having missed last week’s win over the Crows and both pre-season matches.

“If you ask him he’d be disappointed if he’s not selected this week so we’ve got to make those decisions,” Worsfold said. “He’s unlikely to be considered to have done enough this week.”

Worsfold, who yesterday inked a new two-year contract extension with Essendon until 2020, said while last week’s Round 1 win had been a good start to the season there was more to do as the club strives for premiership success within the next three years.

“To play finals we’ve got to win 12 games. We’ve won one, so it’s pretty easy to not get too carried away,” Worsfold said.

“We’re not going on a slow build. We want to get as good as we can as quickly as we can and we’ve got a group we think will continue to improve over the next couple of years for sure.”

Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell said Worsfold had been a “calming influence” since taking the reins.