ESSENDON'S Dustin Fletcher will be missing for up to a month after scans revealed the defender has a hairline fracture of the fibula.

While Fletcher’s expected three to four-week absence is a blow for the Bombers, coach Matthew Knights had been bracing himself for worse news.

Had Fletcher sustained a full break, he would have been facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines.

Fletcher, who played his 300th game against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night, had an x-ray in Brisbane on Sunday, but scans in Melbourne this morning confirmed the more positive outlook for the veteran Bomber, who turns 34 later this week.
 
The experienced backman will be sorely missed in the coming month and, in particular, this week, with Essendon set to face the two-pronged tall attack of Hawthorn’s Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.

Essendon football operations manager Paul Hamilton will front the media later today at Windy Hill to discuss Fletcher’s injury.

More to follow.