Following their 40-point Sunday victory, it has been confirmed that Darcy Parish will miss the next three games with a minor calf strain while key forward Harrison Jones joins him for a week.
The star midfielder was a late out in the North Melbourne clash after waking up sore on the morning of the match.
Scans on Monday revealed the strain and now the club are hoping Parish will be fit to return after their bye in Round 14, leaving him no chance of playing in Saturday's Dreamtime at the 'G clash with Richmond.
GM of Football Operations Daniel McPherson, said the injury is a frustrating blow, given the recent injury history of the star mid.
โAfter missing the first couple of games of the season, Darcy's season was building nicely and he'd been playing some terrific football for us in recent weeks, so this latest setback, although relatively minor, is frustrating," McPherson said.
"Given Darcy's importance to our team, we'll use the next few weeks, plus the mid-season bye week, to ensure he is in great shape heading into the second half of the season.โ
Jones, who was cited by the Match Review Officer (MRO) for a dangerous tackle on Kangaroos defender Zac Fisher, will miss a week after the club "reluctantly" accepted the one-match suspension.
Harrison Jones has received a one-match suspension for this incident involving Zac Fisher.
Full Match Review findings: https://t.co/gKqOr0swRd pic.twitter.com/clI4D7Pb6H
— AFL (@AFL) May 20, 2024
The tackle was graded medium impact, careless conduct and high contact, constituting a week off.
Despite the option to take it to the tribunal, the Bombers voted against challenging the decision, according to SEN's Sam Edmund.
Essendon have reluctantly chosen to accept Harry Jones' one-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Zac Fisher. It was graded medium impact given potential to cause injury, which makes you wonder if low impact is still possible. Dons gave appeal considerable thought, but felt theyโฆ
— Sam Edmund (@Sammy__Edmund) May 20, 2024
Jones will miss the Dreamtime at the G' clash against Richmond on Saturday.
