The Essendon side will be bolstered this Friday night with the return of Dustin Fletcher. The All Australian full-back was a late withdrawal from the Round 13 match against Melbourne with tightness in the hamstring tendon. Football manager Dominic Cato said the match committee decided not to risk Fletcher for that game and expect him to return against the Kangaroos this Friday night after a two-week lay-off.

""The mid-season bye came at the right time for Dustin. He had been experiencing soreness in the hamstring region, so the two-week break has been a good chance for him to rest and stay off the track. He will be back training this week and is a certain starter for Friday night’s match against the Kangaroos,"" Cato said.

Unfortunately it is not the same story for injured pair Sean Wellman and Dean Rioli. In separate incidents, the pair both sustained hamstring injuries in the Round 12 match against Brisbane. Cato said both players are recovering well and responding to the rehabilitation process.

""Sean is still three weeks away and Dean won’t be available for two weeks. Both players are running at the moment, but they won’t be involved in any skills work at this stage,"" Cato said. ""They will step up to more explosive running and skills in the next one to two weeks.""

Joel Reynolds returned to the Bendigo Bombers team last Sunday after eight weeks on the side-lines with glandular fever. However, Reynolds’ comeback was short-lived. The 20-year-old injured his ankle in the opening minutes of the match.

""Unfortunately for Joel he rolled his ankle and took no further part in the match. At this stage we are not sure of the severity of the injury,"" he said. ""He had a MRI scan yesterday and we are waiting on the results.""