Essendon senior coach Brad Scott has revealed the latest on ailing ruckman Sam Draper, while also providing an update on banged-up defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, following the Bombers' defeat to Fremantle on Saturday night.
Draper was absent for Saturday's bout with the Dockers due to an ongoing hip concern, with it appearing likely the critical ruckman could miss additional matches.
Scott, addressing the media post-game, provided an update on Draper's situation, assuring the Bombers wouldn't consider risking their ruckman if he wasn't completely ready to play.
"It's a really hard one because we don't have a timeframe on [the injury], it's not long-term, he has played [with the injury], it's not like he couldn't play, he could play, but he'd be struggling with it and, at Round 15, are we just going to have him gradually sort of fall off a cliff slowly, over the course of the year, when we've been wanting to get Nick Bryan into our side and Andrew Phillips is going well?" Scott said on Saturday evening.
"So, we'll just take [that cautious] attitude, because the medical staff said 'Look, we could push him and he could play' and I'm saying 'we're not doing that', so we just want to get him right and if that takes one week, fantastic, [but] if it takes longer than that, we'll just assess it week by week.
"These things can turn around really quickly, so I'm just guided by the medical staff, but what I won't put up with is 'look, we can get him out there but he won't be his best', it's just a flat 'no', that's been our philosophy all year."
Scott's Bombers certainly could've used Draper, particularly against physical Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy, who doubled Nick Bryan's hit-out total on Saturday.
Zerk-Thatcher, meanwhile, first was subject to a head knock for which he was assessed in the third quarter, before succumbing to adductor tightness, according to Scott.
"Obviously the hit (head knock), he was fine, ready to come back on, but he had some adductor tightness, that's what's been explained to me, whether it's more than that or not, we're not sure yet, but certainly wasn't good enough to put him back on."
Essendon's Round 16 opponent is the in-form Port Adelaide, whom the Bombers will host next Saturday night at the MCG.
