“He is moving better this week and with the season still two weeks away we are hopeful of having him right,” Drain said. “People might think it is a risk to play him in the first match but he is a very experienced player and I’m sure he could cope with it. The other factor of course is that he plays in a position where he can be rotated in and out of the game and that will count in his favour when we sit down to select the side.”
The Bombers will be very keen to get Alessio right as soon as possible. Paul Salmon showed against Fremantle that he is going to be a bonus this season but the Essendon coaching panel would prefer him not to have to run a full game out at this stage. David Hille has had an excellent pre-season but the match committee may prefer to opt for experience early in the season. So Alessio’s presence is very much required.
Alessio has had some achilles problems in the past and that is basically what has been the source of his problems this time around. Previous achilles problems have left him with a build up of scar tissue around the tendon. Alessio rested the achilles during the off-season but it became inflamed when he resumed running. With such a delicate injury, the fitness staff have taken Alessio along slowly.
“There is obviously some pressure on the achilles for ruckmen and it can become very much a long-term injury if it isn’t fully right before returning,” Drain said. “If we had pushed him he could have been missing for half the season so we have erred on the side of safety.”
Alessio had a fantastic finals’ series for the Bombers and in fact was a very good player all season. He missed some time because of a knee problem but either side of the injury was a major contributor. The sooner he is back, the better.
