Harrison Jones copped a nasty leg injury right before three-quarter time in Essendon’s game with North Melbourne. Sadly, the injury became the top story of the team’s win. The injury happened when Jones came down on his foot wrong and suffered a dislocated and likely broken ankle. When he put his hand over his left leg in apparent agony, we called for immediate medical assistance.
One Essendon doctor realized quickly what was happening, rushing out to stabilize Jones’s ankle and prevent further damage. At the same time, trainers on the sideline begged for a stretcher to help carry him off the field. Jones waved as he was carried out in a medicab. His exit sent waves of panic through fan bases and locker rooms alike.
The injury was made that much more shocking by the context surrounding the match. Essendon had already lost Jordan Ridley, who had a hamstring issue. Equally unlucky, though, was North Melbourne’s Jackson Archer, who tore a painful hamstring attempting to spoil in the same contest. This latest string of injuries only added to the physical punish that this game has had on both teams.
Speculation was even more rife when Goldstein, Jones’s captain and very close friend, could only say that he was “shattered” by this unfortunate turn of events. Commentator Brian Taylor described the injury as a “broken, dislocated, call it what you want,” emphasizing the severity of the situation.
Earlier in the game, Jones was gifted a green whistle by the Driver Medicacab. That put into question his health even prior to the actual injury occurring. Essendon too have had an awful task to deal with in recent months, losing entire lines to injury. Their ruck duo of Nick Bryan (ACL) and Sam Draper (Achilles) have gone down with recent ruptures. The most recent return of Peter Wright from his long hiatus has brought stability to the roster.
Zach Merrett, a teammate of Jones, shared his thoughts on the incident, stating, “It’s always disappointing to see anyone go off on a stretcher so fingers crossed he’s OK.” He assured reporters that the team would support Jones through his recovery: “We’ll wrap our arms around him and make sure he gets the support and care that he needs.”
