Essendon expects both Brent Stanton and Dustin Fletcher to play against Port Adelaide next Sunday - the last game before the Bombers take a well-earned mid-season break. Stanton (ankle) and Fletcher (groin) were cause for some concern following Essendon's heart-stopping win over West Coast but both had improved significantly by today and look certain starters against Port.
Fletcher has no soreness in the groin that was giving him some concern post-match. Stanton will face a fitness test later in the week but the extended break between games will give him an excellent chance of getting back to full fitness.
And the injury news will brighten even further following the bye. Courtenay Dempsey (hamstring), Nathan Lovett-Murray (groin) and Scott Gumbleton (hamstring) will all be available for selection. The outlook for Andrew Lovett has also improved and he may miss only one more match with a knee injury. Leroy Jetta has recovered from his groin injury and played for Bendigo today.
In other news, Mal Michael's fierce tackle on West Coast's Mitch Morton has not been deemed reportable. A statement from the AFL said:
""Contact between Essendon's Mal Michael and West Coast's Mitch Morton from the second quarter of Friday's match was reviewed. Michael lifts Morton and drops him to the ground during a tackle. Although the technique is not desirable, it was the view of the panel that Michael does not spear Morton into the ground and the action was not deemed to be reportable.""
