Former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy says Bombers skipper Matthew Lloyd should play on in the AFL in 2010.

Sheedy, who during his 27-year reign at Windy Hill moulded Lloyd into a star full-forward, said it was "not my call" whether his old club got one more season out of their 31-year-old captain.

But he said he would like to see Lloyd decide to have another season before retirement.

"I'd like to," he said.

"My view is you play every game you can play, you're a long time retired and out of it."

Lloyd has booted 926 goals from 269 games and has said he is undecided about next year, although if he does play, it will be just for 2010.

Bombers coach Matthew Knights has left it to Lloyd and fellow veterans Dustin Fletcher and Scott Lucas to have the major say in their futures.

Lucas announced on Tuesday his immediate retirement, while Fletcher is understood to be keen to play on.

Now in his second season on the sidelines after leaving Essendon, Sheedy says he's impressed with the way the Bombers - who have a sniff of reaching the finals and sit in eighth spot entering the penultimate round - are playing.

"They've got to make the finals and they're good, and they played a wonderful game last week. It was a very courageous comeback (win over St Kilda)," he said.

"But they're going to have to keep building up all those kids to get that ... if they keep working with the youth and they play 70-plus games, then they'll build a package and a good side together."

Sheedy said it was Essendon's speed and slick ball movement at times that had pleased him most.

"We had to bring quick players into the side - (Andrew) Lovett and (Alwyn) Davey and Courtenay Dempsey - and Jason Winderlich is just starting to play (well), which is good because they're speed merchants and that suits Etihad Stadium," he said.

"Speed really suits getting a ball away from a pack off a handball from (Jobe) Watson, and then they can move the ball quickly into the forward line.

"They've hung in there and it has been great."

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