Essendon have been forced into a late change to their squad for Sunday's meeting with North Melbourne, with senior midfielder Dylan Shiel set to make his first appearance of 2024 as a result of the change.
Shiel comes into Brad Scott's side in place of utility Nik Cox, who has been ruled out of the game due to illness.
The change sees Shiel named in the 23-man side and young midfielder Elijah Tsatas join Nate Caddy and Nick Bryan as the emergencies for Round 10.
Shiel faced a delayed start to his season after dealing with a troublesome foot injury across the pre-season. The former Giant made his return through Essendon's VFL side in Round 1 and has played five games at the level since.
The Bombers initially named an unchanged lineup for their clash with the Kangaroos, with defender Jordan Ridley returning through the VFL instead of the top level following his quad injury.
A win for the Bombers this week would see them jump into second place on the ladder and notch up their third successive victory.
Essendon host North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday at 1:10pm (AEST). Both sides will finalise their squads an hour out from the opening bounce.
