Essendon will again be without key defender Michael Hurley when the side runs out for its match against Adelaide tomorrow. 

Hurley will miss his third straight game with a knee problem. 

“We thought it’d be a one week injury, then a two week injury and he may have just stirred it up a little bit last week,” Essendon Coach James Hird said. 

“We’re very confident he’ll be right next week.” 

In Hurley’s absence the key defensive posts will fall to Jake Carlisle, Ariel Steinberg and the returning Tayte Pears. 

Adam Cooney will also be missing from the side after being suspended for one match by the AFL Tribunal. 

Injury and now suspension has made it hard for Cooney to generate consistency this season. 

But he’s still managed ten goals in his 11 matches and averaged 17 disposals a game.

“Adam’s been disappointed by the injuries he’s had,” Hird said. 

“He had a really good pre-season, those two hamstrings obviously hampered him.

“We certainly know a lot more about Adam’s body after having a year with him and we hope to get a good pre-season into him and get more power and speed into his body so we can hopefully prevent those hamstring injuries.”