Essendon will be without ruckman Sam Draper for at least the next two weeks after being ruled out with a hip injury.

Draper was subbed out of Essendon’s round 13 victory over Carlton and will not be available until at least round 18.

GM of Performance Daniel McPherson said the 24-year-old will begin a de-loading phase, before commencing reloading in a couple of weeks.

“It had been grumbling along for a few weeks, and even with reduced training loads, he wasn’t really improving. So, we’ll pull back for a couple of weeks, get him feeling good again, and then reload him ahead of a return to training and games,” McPherson said.

“Hopefully it’s a relatively quick turnaround, but it’s difficult to put a definite return date on him right now.”

The Bombers may regain midfielder Dylan Shiel who’s been listed as a test for this week’s clash against the Power.

McPherson said the extra week has helped Shiel’s case to be selected for round 16.

“Dylan’s progression from his foot complaint has been pleasing,” McPherson said.

“He’s back training fully and he got through today’s main session, so we’ll see how he pulls up from that and go from there."

Midfielder Will Setterfield is still experiencing a slow and steady progression from a foot injury sustained in round nine.

“Will’s progressing steadily through his rehab program,” McPherson said.

“The aim is for him to be back running by the end of this week, and then gradually build back into training and games over the next three or so weeks.”

Essendon has also confirmed mid-season recruit Jaiden Hunter will miss the rest of the season after scans confirmed a recurring stress fracture in the 20-year-old’s back.

Essendon round 16 injury list