Young Essendon defender Mason Redman could potentially bypass the remainder of the season after suffering an untimely ankle injury during last week's shock win over West Coast.
Essendon have confirmed the 20-year-old sustained a syndesmosis joint injury in the final quarter against the Eagles, and is set to follow an eight-week rehabilitation timeline.
Physical-performance manager Justin Crow said Redman will most likely endure the same fate as fellow Bomber Mitch Brown, who had a similar injury and missed about two months of play.
“Mason got his ankle caught on another player with five minutes to go in the West Coast game,” Crow said on the SKINS Injury Update on Tuesday.
“(It is a) similar timeframe to return as what Mitch Brown worked through last year, around the eight-week mark usually.
"What we're going to do is we’re going to operate on that tomorrow, put a band around it. Obviously we’ll be taking this step by step and listening closely to what the surgeon has to say after the operation".
Redman was impressive in his return to the senior side against both Brisbane and the Eagles - but he'll be forced to watch his teammates from the stands for now.