Midfielder Alex Browne has escaped major injury after being forced to make an early exit from Essendon VFL’s Preliminary Final last weekend.

There was some uncertainty surrounding the 23-year-old’s ankle, but Doctor Bruce Reid said scans cleared Browne of any major damage.

“He was pretty unlucky because he burst a major vein, and he actually had about a litre of blood around his ankle,” Reid said.

“There was a doubt that he had a fracture, but fortunately he’s going to come through.

“If they were still in he’d probably play. He’d only miss one week - there’s no structural damage.”

Ariel Stienberg missed the Preliminary Final after sustaining a heavy knock to his cheekbone the week prior.

Reid said Steinberg would have been right to play in a few weeks if the season were still in action. 

“The problem with his fracture in his cheek bone is that it went under the eye socket, so there’s a risk to the eye if he gets a second knock,” Reid said.

“Again if they were still in he would have missed two or three weeks.”

While Heath Hocking and Michael Hurley are expected to bit fully before the year’s end after they both successfully underwent post-season should surgery.

“They both had unstable shoulders during the year, and we pick a time obviously at the end of the year to have routine reconstructions and they both will be ready to go by Christmas,” Reid said.