Essendon's fears have not been allayed with scan results for wingman Xavier Duursma, who was unable to finish Sunday's win over Fremantle due to a hamstring concern, have revealed a 3-4 week stint on the sidelines.
Duuursma came from the field amid the close affair, with the Bombers acting quickly to assess the midfielder before putting him on ice.
The late-game blow left Essendon a man down, having already brought tactical sub Alwyn Davey into the game in place of second-string ruckman Nick Bryan.
Xavier Duursma to miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring out of yesterdayโs win over Fremantle. @AFLcomau
— Callum Twomey (@CalTwomey) August 5, 2024
Speaking to the media after the thrilling one-point victory, coach Brad Scott said he was unaware of the extent of Duursma's ailment but noted it to be a hamstring issue.
"He's got ice on his hamstring, but I haven't got a report on that," Scott said.
"We couldn't put him back on late, so it'll just be the standard scan and get back to you."
Key defender Jayden Laverde was left "very sore" after a knee to the hip region in the game's opening half but managed to see out the match.
Essendon won't expect to have any players returning from injury for next week's meeting with the Gold Coast Suns, as duo Matt Guelfi (hamstring) and Jordan Ridley (hip flexor) likely require at least another fortnight before being cleared to play again.
Will Setterfield, Nick Hind, Elijah Tsatas, Archie Perkins and Ben Hobbs all pressed their case for recalls in a comfortable VFL victory over the weekend against the Northern Bullants, while dropped forward Peter Wright managed three goals from 19 disposals and eight marks.
Wright's hopes of a return could be delayed given Brayn's promising performance in support of lead tall Sam Draper, with the pait working well against the formidable pairing of Dockers duo Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson.
Scott said it was "a risk" to remove Bryan from the game, but saw the need for run and speed instead of a two-ruck system when the game was on the line.
Having held Bryan at VFL level for some time, Scott said the 22-year-old took his chance at the senior level.
"It was a risk to sub him out. We did it as we felt we had some backup options, but we felt the game was opening up and that run was a priority over a second ruck," Scott said.
"[Bryan] has been ready for a long time. I'm a big believer in bringing players in and setting them up to play well and succeed. He would have been incredibly frustrated to be sitting there dominating VFL level.
"We always talk not knowing when your opportunity is going to come but be ready for it. His opportunity came today and he took it.
"We thought it was great, the reason to sub him out was to just get more run into the game."
Veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein was dominant in Sunday's VFL victory, recording 43 of the game's 62 hitouts for the afternoon.
Scott expressed his delight in debutant Archie Roberts' maiden performance, with the teenager collecting 18 disposals and over 230 metres gained against Fremantle.
