Essendon are unsure of the severity of star midfielder Darcy Parish’s current calf injury, with the All-Australian potentially one of three key inclusions for the Bombers’ Dreamtime game.
Parish was ruled out of Sunday’s match against North Melbourne due to the injury, and rookie midfielder Elijah Tsatas took his position in the starting lineup.
The reshuffle comes after the Bombers lost Nik Cox to illness earlier in the week, and the youthful tall was also replaced by Dylan Shiel.
Coach Brad Scott is hopeful that both Cox and defender Jordan Ridley (quad) will be available for Round 11, but Parish’s future is uncertain.
Speaking after his team’s 40-point victory over the Kangaroos, Scott acknowledged Parish might have been deployed but would have been risky if chosen. “We do not think it is serious. “He has a tight calf,” Scott explained.
“Even if he makes it through without being injured, will he play at his best? The game is too difficult for that. “It’s not as if he had no possibility of playing, but the decision was simple for me, especially because Elijah Tsatas was present.
“I’d just be speculating for the moment. There was no incident; he simply felt tense in the car before the game. So we basically err on the side of caution, but I can’t give an update on whether it’ll be okay.”
“Will he play at his peak even if he avoids injury? “The game is too challenging for that.”It’s not as if he had no chance of playing, but the decision was easy for me, especially since Elijah Tsatas was there. “For the time being, I would just speculate.
There was no incident; he just felt nervous in the car before the game. So we basically err on the side of caution, but I can’t give you an update on whether everything will be well.”
Parish, Cox, and Ridley’s prospective selections will only add to Scott’s selection headaches, since his team currently sits second on the table after ten games. There are unlikely to be any forced changes to the lineup that defeated a spirited North Melbourne outfit, with midfielder Sam Durham expected to play despite neck and ankle injuries sustained during the encounter.
Scott detailed. Durham was prevented from returning to the field due to the risk and the fact that the Roos were already down three on their own interchange. “We just took the opportunity to manage him,” Scott explained of the young onballer.
“The way he plays, he gets bruised up a little. He took a few of hard hits during the game. “We had him sitting there, ready to come back on if needed, but we decided to leave him off.
“North also had (Miller) Bergman wounded, and they had already substituted. So we took a balanced approach to that. We are not going to be outpaced in terms of numbers. So we just decided to leave him off.”
