Essendon coach Brad Scott says he is weighing up whether to bring in Peter Wright or Todd Goldstein to fill the void left by the injured Nick Bryan.
The Bombers ruckman was confirmed to have torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Saturday's victory over Melbourne, ultimately ruling him out for the entire 2025 season.
Bryan is the second Essendon player this year to have torn his ACL, joining SSP recruit Tom Edwards on the sidelines.
Scott, who has opted to play two rucks in his side during his time at Tullamarine, is looking at whether to bring in a genuine ruckman in Goldstein, or a pinch-hit tall like Wright.
"The good news is, we have flexibility," Scott said.
"Peter Wright played on the weekend. Goldy played on the weekend. They're both high-quality players, and we've got flexibility with the structure we think is best suited for this week.
"We like the look of Drapes forward.
"We'll see how everyone comes up from training, but both of those options are available for us."
Both Wright and Goldstein have yet to be sighted in the senior team in 2025, as Bryan's development has surpassed the experienced duo, with Sam Draper also spending more time forward.
The former Sun returned from his ankle injury and has been building his form in the VFL, kicking three goals in the practice match over the weekend against Hawthorn, as the reserves competition took a league-wide bye due to the VFL and SANFL contest.
Goldstein also put together a strong performance, providing opportunities for the midfield group as the two clubs drew.
Scott is also wary of the West Coast challenge, which is set for Good Friday evening at Optus Stadium.
Essendon has Kyle Langford (hamstring), Nik Cox (concussion), Jye Caldwell (hamstring), Matt Guelfi (hamstring) and Angus Clarke (collarbone) in their casualty ward.
