Allan suffered what appeared to be a strained medial ligament and he will have scans this morning to determine the extent of the injury. The early prognosis is that he will miss at least the remainder of the home and away season. He may return should Essendon play finals’ football.
Rioli re-injured his hamstring in the final quarter of Saturday night’s game – a devastating blow given he had dominated the game while on the field. Rioli had missed the previous five games with a hamstring injury and he is expected to be sidelined for the next three to four weeks.
Sean Wellman could also resume against the Blues but it appears more likely he will be given an extra week and will play against Collingwood in Round 20.
The loss of Allan poses the biggest questions for the Essendon match committee. David Hille’s form has been much improved over the past two weeks but it would seem unlikely that the Bombers would risk rucking him for an entire game.
Jason Laycock kicked four goals in a best-on-ground performance for the Bendigo Bombers against Frankston yesterday and he may finally get his chance at senior level. The other options might include pinch-hitting with Mark Bolton and Dustin Fletcher in the ruck.
Other good players for the Bendigo Bombers yesterday included Mark Mercuri who racked up 29 possessions and kicked four goals. Ricky Dyson was excellent off the half back line – also collecting 29 possessions while Jason Winderlich and Marc Bullen were solid contributors.
