Essendon Football Club currently experiencing an injury crisis. They’re preparing to face Greater Western Sydney (GWS) this Thursday night. The club has 11 first-choice players unavailable due to injury or transfer. They are now contending with a deepening, unprecedented crisis that experts refer to as a “perfect storm” of injuries.
Those sidelined players include the likes of Nic Martin, Will Setterfield and Sam Draper, all key figures. Martin’s grim injury is the fourth ACL tear suffered by a Bomber this season. He joins teammates Nick Bryan, Lewis Hayes and Tom Edwards already on the injured list. Essendon are already feeling the loss of key duo Martin and Setterfield both placed on the rest of the season list. Their absence is rendering the team almost completely ineffective.
The Hellenic club will be given a further test with the absence of Nate Caddy and Ben Hobbs. Both players are out through injury. Todd Goldstein misses the match for managed resting. At the same time, Kyle Langford is unfortunately continuing to suffer from a very rough injury history, which features two quad injuries and one hamstring injury. Speedster Jye Caldwell has been hampered by the ever-popular hamstring issue. Darcy Parish has slogged through two different calf injuries this year. Zach Reid’s situation is just as touch and go given that he’s had two previous hamstring tear surgeries.
Essendon has a difficult road to climb. At least 16 senior players will already be missing for their next match against GWS, as the cumulative effect of these injuries take over. To counteract the impact of this adversity, Essendon has brought six changes into the squad to replace their opponents. They are about to break a record – THE record! So when Liam McMahon takes the field against the Giants, they will equal a record 13 debutants in a single AFL season.
Jake Stringer, one of the most seasoned players on the list, took to Instagram to share a clear message about how he felt. He continued, “I played with a lot of those guys for seven or eight years. Unfortunately, a lot of them have experienced serious injuries over time. My heart goes out to them.” Stringer recognized the emotional toll these injuries have on the spirit and culture of the team.
Even with the upward hill, Stringer was adamant his squad’s focus would be to come ready to play. “We won’t be going out Thursday night taking them lightly. We’ll be going out there thinking they’re full-strength and getting after it,” he stated.
Head coach Brad Scott doubled down on the idea to maintain focus in spite of the disarray. He noted, “A five-day break, there’s no time to be getting distracted from what I need to do.” His comments illustrate the pressure under which Essendon needs to be coming into their Round 4 game against GWS, even with a lack of players.
The club’s resilience will be truly tested as Essendon looks to overcome this unprecedented challenge against GWS. Their next match will be about much more than America’s game. In turn, this has created a powerful moment for the team’s morale and camaraderie, as they face the storm together.
