Essendon captain Jobe Watson will face fitness tests this week to determine his availability for Saturday night’s clash against arch-rival Carlton.
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Watson, who has been sidelined since Round 14 after suffering a hamstring strain, has resumed a full training load and will prove his fitness levels to selectors during the course of the week.
General manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said the return of Watson, along with David Myers, would bolster the Essendon side set to face Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.
“Everyone would love to see Jobe and David back playing. They have both missed three weeks of football and have stepped up their training and programs since last week right through to this week,"" he said.
“They have to make sure they get through intense trainings for the full week and if they get through that - and don’t have any problems - they will be both available so we’ve all got our fingers crossed for those boys.”
Hamilton said midfield utility Ben Howlett was the only minor injury concern for the club following Essendon’s 11-point victory against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
“Our sole injury coming from the weekend’s game was with Ben Howlett. He was subbed off at around about the half-way mark as a result of a strain to the side of his body.
“He was sore the next day but he seems to have pulled up relatively okay today and his range and movement was quite good so we’re hopeful he will be available this week,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton added injured duo Darcy Daniher and Anthony Long were progressing well with their recoveries following recent operations.
“Those two have unfortunately rarely played this year and Darcy has had another recent operation. While I suppose that’s bad news, it is also good news because they have identified things they weren’t aware of and it is the sort of thing that will assist Darcy in his longer term recovery,"" Hamilton told BomberTV.
“Anthony is recovering from his hamstring situation at the moment, since his last bout of surgery. He is on a rehabilitation program and looks unlikely to play but it’s almost a week by week monitoring assessment of Anthony. We hope that he is able to come back before the year is finished.""
Watson, who has been sidelined since Round 14 after suffering a hamstring strain, has resumed a full training load and will prove his fitness levels to selectors during the course of the week.
General manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said the return of Watson, along with David Myers, would bolster the Essendon side set to face Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.
“Everyone would love to see Jobe and David back playing. They have both missed three weeks of football and have stepped up their training and programs since last week right through to this week,"" he said.
“They have to make sure they get through intense trainings for the full week and if they get through that - and don’t have any problems - they will be both available so we’ve all got our fingers crossed for those boys.”
Hamilton said midfield utility Ben Howlett was the only minor injury concern for the club following Essendon’s 11-point victory against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
“Our sole injury coming from the weekend’s game was with Ben Howlett. He was subbed off at around about the half-way mark as a result of a strain to the side of his body.
“He was sore the next day but he seems to have pulled up relatively okay today and his range and movement was quite good so we’re hopeful he will be available this week,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton added injured duo Darcy Daniher and Anthony Long were progressing well with their recoveries following recent operations.
“Those two have unfortunately rarely played this year and Darcy has had another recent operation. While I suppose that’s bad news, it is also good news because they have identified things they weren’t aware of and it is the sort of thing that will assist Darcy in his longer term recovery,"" Hamilton told BomberTV.
“Anthony is recovering from his hamstring situation at the moment, since his last bout of surgery. He is on a rehabilitation program and looks unlikely to play but it’s almost a week by week monitoring assessment of Anthony. We hope that he is able to come back before the year is finished.""
Bomber veteran Andrew Welsh, who has been sidelined with a hamstring complaint, is likely to make a return to the field in the coming weeks.
“He is coming along fine and is still another week or two away and at this stage he hasn’t had any setbacks at this stage,” Hamilton said.
Essendon will face fierce rival Carlton in a highly anticipated Saturday night clash at the MCG and Hamilton said the history between the two clubs would inspire the players this weekend.
“We love playing Carlton, the rivalry is really high and is probably even more pronounced in the last 15 years and both clubs love playing each other – so we will definitely come out firing against the Blues,” he said.
