Dangerous forward Orazio Fantasia is closing in on his return and has Sunday’s clash against the Western Bulldogs in his sights.
Fantasia was unavailable in the club’s pre-season games and has missed Essendon’s first two matches of the season, but the club is hopeful he can return to the line-up this week.
Essendon Physical Performance Manager Justin Crow said the 22-year-old trained strongly on the weekend as he continues to rebuild his characteristic speed and agility following knee surgery.
“Orazio had a big match simulation on the weekend, he trained well there,” Crow said on the SKINS Injury Update on Tuesday.
“He’ll train again on Thursday with the rest of the group. We’ll wait and see how he goes in that session before making a final decision on whether he plays or not.”
Small defender Ben McNiece is another player likely to return to the selection mix this weekend after overcoming a minor hamstring concern.
“Ben McNiece is in the same boat as Orazio in that he’s done a good session on the weekend,” Crow said.
“We’ll look to see how he goes in that main training session with a hope to making him available.”
David Myers didn’t complete as much work as that pair over the weekend, but Crow said he would still stake his claim for selection on Thursday.
“Dave Myers took a little longer to get going (and) has got some work in over the weekend. We’ll get him through that main training session and make a decision.”
Crow immediately quashed any concerns about dashing defender Adam Saad who rolled his ankle in a tackle against Fremantle late in the third term last Saturday.
“He was rewrapped, put back on the ground and finished the game.
“His ankle’s stable, after the flight it seems he’s in good condition as well and he’ll train this week and be available to play.”
Young forward Jayden Laverde had his first hit-out of 2018 in Essendon’s VFL practice match against Footscray, impressing in the forward line and getting crucial minutes under his belt.
“Jayden played a half game in the VFL, that went well,” Crow said.
“He’s got quite a volume of work behind him. He’s available for a full game wherever he gets selected.”
Fellow youngster Kobe Mutch is set to do the same this week as he returns in the side’s clash with Frankston in the VFL’s opening round on Saturday.
“Kobe’s back after eight weeks now following his knee surgery.
“Kobe is tracking really well, he’ll be available to play on modified game time this weekend, again assuming he gets through that main session later in the week.”
Crow said he was also happy with the progress of key defender Patrick Ambrose, who has maintained his aerobic fitness since suffering a broken wrist.
“Pat Ambrose had his review with the surgeon last week, which was positive. He’ll have an x-ray on Monday following our game against the Bulldogs to confirm that the screw is in good condition (and) nothing’s moved.
“His availability – if that scan goes well – is based on his ability to handle the football given we’ve been able to keep his running conditioning up through this whole period.”
