ESSENDON coach Matthew Knights says he won’t be taking any unnecessary risks with injured star Matthew Lloyd ahead of Friday’s crunch match with St Kilda at Telstra Dome.

Scans taken on Monday revealed the calf injury which sidelined Lloyd for last weekend’s match against the Western Bulldogs was nothing more than soreness, meaning he could press to play this week.

However, his coach is set to take a cautious approach with the spearhead, confirming Lloyd will need to clear every fitness hurdle to line up on Friday night.

“The scans were really pleasing, because heading into the scans we were hopeful that he would be okay and he’s got some fluid in the calf that’s still a concern to the club, so he will need to train well today and even better on Thursday,” Knights told the media ahead of a training session on Tuesday morning.

“He’s certainly not over the line by any stretch, and with Scott Lucas and Scott Gumbleton not in the team, we really can’t take any risks with Matthew because we have to make sure he’s right for the whole season and not just this week.

“This is our first session for the week so I’ll probably know a lot more by 11 o’clock this morning, but again I’ll state that we will not take any risks with Matthew.”

While Lloyd could well make his return on Friday, the Bombers have been hit with a succession of hamstring injuries; Mark McVeigh and Sam Lonergan added to a list which already includes Courtenay Dempsey, Leroy Jetta and David Myers.

Andrew Welsh is finally set to resume.

Knights says his coaching and medical staff are still looking for an answer as to why his side has succumbed to such a debilitating run.

“In the past 72 hours, we’ve thrown a lot of topics up and had a lot of discussion with our medical team and high performance team ... we’ve (looked) at ground surfaces, whether we’re at Windy Hill or Telstra Dome, six day breaks for a young team and probably three six-day breaks for a team that’s giving - offensively and defensively - a lot of effort,” Knights said.

“In speaking to Bruce Reid, our club doctor, the majority of hamstring injuries will be attributed to fatigue and when the players are in a fatigued state, that’s when the hamstrings do occur.

“I mean look at Sam Lonergan ... tearing through the middle taking on Lindsay Gilbee, and as a coach you’re just rapt with that, and then the product of that is a hamstring, so maybe it’s just that he’s taken his body to a level he’s never taken it before.”

The club hooked each of its players up with a GPS tracking unit for the round three match against Carlton, as they did for the match against the Blues at the same venue in 2007.

The results showed a dramatic rise in top end running from the players, particularly in the second half.

Knights admitted that it could be making his players tire quicker – a factor that clearly impacted the Bombers as they faded in last week's game.

“I’m really proud of the (running) as a coach, but what it means is that your players are going to get more fatigued,” he said.

“We’re certainly looking into a lot of topics, and we’re just starting to discuss all those topics and I’ve got no doubt as the weeks go on, we’ll find out more again.”

While St Kilda, the Bombers’ Friday night opponent, has been criticised for fielding a top-heavy forward line, Knights says it would be foolish to underestimate the Saints’ capacity to bounce back after successive defeats.

“I would expect St Kilda to play with three forwards,” Knights said. “I would think Ross Lyon has a lot of faith in those players, they’ve been very consistent players over a long period.

“I’d have thought he’ll go with those three or four players, they’re quality players and can’t be underestimated. (Fraser) Gehrig has proved he can kick goals consistently over time.”

The rookie coach admitted the game was an “ideal opportunity” for the likes of Kyle Reimers and Tayte Pears to gain more experience at the senior level, with Knights confirming several other players could be considered for a promotion from the VFL.