Essendon will be without midfielder Kyle Langford for several weeks after the 23-year-old sustained a hamstring strain in Friday night's win over Adelaide.
Langford was medically subbed out of the game at the final break with hamstring soreness.
It’s an untimely blow for the 24-year-old, who was enjoying career-high averages in disposals (21.1) and marks (5.7).
Head of high performance Sean Murphy said Langford had already begun what should hopefully be a speedy recovery.
“Unfortunately, Kyle presented with a bit of hamstring tightness throughout the game,” Murphy told Dons Digital’s Liberty Financial Performance Update.
“We decided to take him out at three-quarter time, and unfortunately he’s sustained a hamstring strain and will go into a short-term rehab process now.
“Hopefully we’ll get him back in a few weeks.”
In positive news, captain Dyson Heppell looks to be heading in the right direction for an immediate return following thumb surgery.
Murphy said despite the skipper’s operation last week, the 29-year-old should push his case to return against North Melbourne on Sunday after missing the win over the Crows.
“He’s shaping up really well,” he said.
“He got out today, had a bit of a run and touched the footies.
“He’ll shape up for the backend of the week to give it a good test, but he’s looking pretty good at this point.”
Midfielder Dylan Shiel’s slow and steady progress from a knee injury has turned a corner this week, with the 28-year-old eyeing a return to normal workload volumes.
While Shiel’s rehabilitation is making positive strides, Dons fans will have to wait several more weeks before a return to playing is considered for the No.9.
“’Shiely’s’ coming along pretty well at the moment,” Murphy said.
“He’ll start to integrate into some skills over the next couple of weeks with the group. He’ll build that volume up ever the next month or so.”
Murphy also touched on injury updates to Jye Caldwell, Andrew McGrath, David Zaharakis and Zach Reid, while highlighting exceptional high-performance efforts from Zach Merrett, Archie Perkins and Sam Draper.
Watch round 18’s Liberty Financial Performance Update below.
ESSENDON'S ROUND 18 INJURY LIST
| PLAYER | INJURY | ESTIMATED RETURN |
| Dyson Heppell | Thumb | Test |
| David Zaharakis | Wrist | Test |
| Cody Brand | Hand | Test |
| Aaron Francis | Mental health | Test |
| Dylan Shiel | Knee | Short term |
| Andrew Phillips | Hamstring | Short term |
| Kyle Langford | Hamstring | Medium term |
| Jye Caldwell | Hamstring | Medium term |
| Andrew McGrath | Knee | Long term |
| Michael Hurley | Illness | Long term |
| Zach Reid | Back | Long term |
| Irving Mosquito | Knee | Long term |
| Kaine Baldwin | Knee | Long term |
| Updated Tuesday, July 13 |
