Essendon received mixed news on the injury front today in the wake of its physical clash with West Coast at Colonial Stadium last Saturday night.

Skipper James Hird will miss one to two weeks with a broken finger but Paul Barnard, Dean Rioli and Darren Bewick all look likely to be available.

Hird had a minor operation on his small finger yesterday where two small screws were inserted to try and aid the healing process.

The hand was placed in plaster and an assessment of his condition will be amde early next week.

Barnard looked to have suffered a serious shoulder injury against West Coast but the damage was minimal.

Barnard trained with the side tonight and appears certain to be available for this Saturday night's match against Port Adelaide.

Dean Rioli looks set to finally return to football after missing for more than two months because of a broken collarbone.

And Bewick will definitely play this weekend having recovered from a corked hip he suffered during a VFL match against the northern Bullants.