Reynolds is the second Bomber this season to go onto the long-term injury list following Courtney Johns who has been out of action for the past month after a hip arthroscope. Johns - who is expected to be back in the next four weeks - was replaced by Nathan Lovett-Murray.
Essendon has not made a decision as to whether it will elevate a rookie to replace Reynolds on the senior list. Andrew Lovett would appear the most likely to get a call up after his six-goal performance in the VFL last week. Lovett played on the half forward line and collected 22 possessions. He also kicked three behinds and put two out of bounds on the full so his return could have been far greater.
Despite Reynolds being sidelined, the Essendon list is in much better shape than it was three short weeks ago. The coaching panel will be in the enviable position this week of having a close to full list available to pick from. Jason and Mark Johnson and Mark McVeigh are all free to play after returning from hamstring injuries while Marc Bullen (calf) and Aaron Henneman (hip) – late withdrawals from the Anzac Day clash – are also expected to be fit.
The hamstring trio has missed the past four weeks and assistant coach Mark Harvey said it is unlikely that all three will come back into the senior team. ""When you have a look at the players to come in, you would have to say Jason is at the top of the list because he has only had one hamstring, where as Mark Johnson and Mark McVeigh have had two,"" Harvey said.
""The Swans will be keen to rebound after losing that game at home and are in good form themselves. The way the Swans play will be interesting with our selection too. The key is not to take too many guys in that are underdone.""
""Whether Bullen and Henneman get up remains to be seen. Then you have Damian Cupido who has one game under his belt but will need a few others. Jobe Watson was close to best on ground for Bendigo last Friday night, so he will be a chance as well,"" he said.
The Bombers had recovery this morning and will have its main training session on Wednesday at the MCG at 3pm. ""We will have a better idea after the skills session on Wednesday to see what players are more advanced in their preparation. It will come down to team balance as well.""
Former rookie Ben Haynes had a further setback last Friday night. After four weeks on the sidelines with a quadricep strain he returned for Bendigo Bombers. He unfortunately re-injured the muscle and is expected to miss the next two weeks.
