Essendon will be without Peter Wright for the next 4-6 weeks after the key forward suffered a high-grade ankle ligament injury in Saturday’s VFL practice match against Collingwood.

The 28-year-old was sent for scans after an awkward landing in a marking contest during the second quarter, which confirmed strained ligaments in his left ankle, ruling him out for the start of the 2025 season. 

Midfielder Darcy Parish is building his running loads and progressing in his recovery from a niggling back complaint, with the former All-Australian aiming for a return in the early stages of the home-and-away season.

Defender Jayden Laverde will be unavailable for the next 2-3 weeks as he battles a persistent hip flexor complaint. 

Utility Nik Cox is now working back into non-contact, skills-based training after managing lingering symptoms from a concussion sustained back in December.

Matt Guelfi continues to rehab from last month’s hamstring surgery, while Alwyn Davey Jnr has also increased his running loads after undergoing surgery on his meniscus.

Essendon’s clash with Hawthorn kicks off from 7:40pm AEDT this Friday night at the MCG, broadcast live on Ch 7, FOX and Kayo.

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HoMedics
Player Injury Estimated Return
26. Archie May

26. Archie May

MCL Test

May avoided serious damage to his MCL after landing awkwardly against Collingwood. He will be a test for round eight.

17. Vigo Visentini

17. Vigo Visentini

Hamstring 1 week

Visentini injured his hamstring in the round one VFL match against Geelong.

23. Harrison Jones

23. Harrison Jones

Calf strain 2 weeks

Jones sustained a calf strain in round three of the VFL.

14. Jordan Ridley

14. Jordan Ridley

Calf strain 3 weeks

Ridley suffered a low-grade calf strain against the SUNS in round six.

18. Lewis Hayes

18. Lewis Hayes

ACL 4 weeks

Hayes suffered an ACL injury during his debut game against Sydney in round nine last year.

36. Angus Clarke

36. Angus Clarke

Foot (stress fracture) 5 weeks

Clarke sustained a stress fracture in his foot during round three of the VFL.

8. Brayden Fiorini

8. Brayden Fiorini

Back TBC

Fiorini is making gradual progress with his back. A clearer return-to-play time will be confirmed once he recommences skill-based training.

10. Isaac Kako

10. Isaac Kako

Back stress TBC

Kako has sustained a stress injury to his back.

37. Nic Martin

37. Nic Martin

ACL Season

Martin tore his ACL in the round 18 clash against Richmond last year.

26. Archie May

26. Archie May

May avoided serious damage to his MCL after landing awkwardly against Collingwood. He will be a test for round eight.

Injury: MCL
Est. Return: Test
17. Vigo Visentini

17. Vigo Visentini

Visentini injured his hamstring in the round one VFL match against Geelong.

Injury: Hamstring
Est. Return: 1 week
23. Harrison Jones

23. Harrison Jones

Jones sustained a calf strain in round three of the VFL.

Injury: Calf strain
Est. Return: 2 weeks
14. Jordan Ridley

14. Jordan Ridley

Ridley suffered a low-grade calf strain against the SUNS in round six.

Injury: Calf strain
Est. Return: 3 weeks
18. Lewis Hayes

18. Lewis Hayes

Hayes suffered an ACL injury during his debut game against Sydney in round nine last year.

Injury: ACL
Est. Return: 4 weeks
36. Angus Clarke

36. Angus Clarke

Clarke sustained a stress fracture in his foot during round three of the VFL.

Injury: Foot (stress fracture)
Est. Return: 5 weeks
8. Brayden Fiorini

8. Brayden Fiorini

Fiorini is making gradual progress with his back. A clearer return-to-play time will be confirmed once he recommences skill-based training.

Injury: Back
Est. Return: TBC
10. Isaac Kako

10. Isaac Kako

Kako has sustained a stress injury to his back.

Injury: Back stress
Est. Return: TBC
37. Nic Martin

37. Nic Martin

Martin tore his ACL in the round 18 clash against Richmond last year.

Injury: ACL
Est. Return: Season

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