Essendon expects to be without Brendon Goddard for the next two matches.

The Bombers Captain pulled up suddenly early in the match against Geelong.

He was assisted from the field and has been diagnosed with a groin injury.

Goddard is hopeful of returning against the Western Bulldogs next week.

Essendon’s Head Physiotherapist Peter Blanch said the 31 year old would be given every opportunity to be ready for that game, but the more likely scenario is he’ll require two weeks to recover.

“Brendon unfortunately got a small tear in one of his groin muscles and was unable to finish out the game,” Blanch said.

“There is a debate – Brendon thinks he’s going to miss one game, but the Doc and I think he’s probably going to miss two games.

“We’ll give him his best shot, but that’s probably where it sits at the moment.”

Essendon Coach John Worsfold said there had been no thought given to simply allowing Goddard to rest up for the rest of the season.

“I’d love to have him finish the year off,” he said.

“It has been a big year for him as a leader for us, he’s been awesome.

“I would love to have him out there for at least one more game and hopefully two.”

Nathan Grima will miss this weekend with a back complaint, but Mark Jamar is set to return from a hamstring injury.

“He’s trained very well the last couple of weeks, ticked off top speeds and he’s quite keen to get back and play,” Blanch said. 

Tom Wallis will miss this weekend with an achilles problem. 

The rookie-listed player felt some tightness during last Saturday’s VFL game against Casey. 

He could return for the game against North Ballarat on August 20^th depending on how much training he can get through in the lead up to the match.

Alex Morgan is also nearing a return from his hamstring injury with the first year player expected back next week.