Defender Jordan Ridley will miss the next three weeks after suffering a hip flexor strain in Essendon’s loss to St Kilda last Saturday.

Ridley was subbed out at half-time with what was initially thought to be a corked hip from a marking contest in the second term, however follow-up scans on Monday revealed the full extent of the injury.

“Rids felt some discomfort in his hip after a marking contest just prior to half-time. We used the break to assess the injury, which we originally hoped was just a cork, but ultimately, he wasn’t able to continue, and so was subbed out of the game at half-time. Follow-up scans on Sunday morning unfortunately showed a strain to his hip flexor,” GM of Football Daniel McPherson said. 

“This latest injury is unrelated to his quad injury from earlier in the year, so while it’s still early days, at this stage we’re optimistic he will be available prior to the end of the home and away season”.

Midfielder Darcy Parish made his long-awaited return from a calf injury over the weekend and got through the game without issue.

Mid-season draftee Saad El-Hawli has ramped up his running and will look to further increase his training loads this week, eyeing off a return to play in two weeks’ time.