Essendon forward Peter Wright has suffered a dislocated shoulder just two days out from his side's Round 1 encounter with Hawthorn, with the Bombers spearhead ruled out of the match.
Wright, who is fresh off inking a new four-year contract on Friday, has endured an interrupted pre-season after suffering a calf injury in January, with the Bombers' key forward spending a period of time on the sidelines before being cleared to return to Brad Scott's main training group.
The former Sun proves to be a key piece within Essendon's attacking contingent, which will also rely on new recruit Sam Weideman and emerging forward Harrison Jones for Sunday's clash against the Hawks.
That duo will now be forced to take on the bulk of the workload in Scott's forward, with Wright's latest setback sidelining the 26-year-old for Essendon's season opener, having suffered a dislocated shoulder injury at Friday morning's training session.
"Key forward Peter Wright dislocated his shoulder at training this morning after landing awkwardly in a marking contest," a club statement reads.
"He won't play against Hawthorn on Sunday.
"He has been sent for scans this afternoon with the results to dictate the next course of action for him. The club will work through rehab options in the coming days."
Coming off a best and fairest campaign that resulted in 53 goals from 22 games, losing Wright for Sunday's match will be a major concern to the start of Scott's tenure at Tullamarine.
Wright was named at full forward to face the Hawks, with Weideman his tall partner in attack and Jones listed on the extended bench.
Essendon will finalise their interchange and emergencies at 5pm (AEDT) on Friday.
The Bombers and Hawks will go head-to-head at the MCG at 3:30pm on Sunday.
