James Hird was a late withdrawal from the Melbourne match with slight hamstring tightness. Paul Barnard came into team for the injured skipper and played his 150th match. Hird missed the match as a precautionary measure and is expected to be available this week for the must win game against Carlton.
Youngster Jason Winderlich was also a late withdrawal from the round 17 match with a sore groin. He was replaced in the selected side by Mark Mercuri. Fitness coach John Quinn said the injury to Winderlich is not severe, however the club didn't want to play him and risk further damage. ""Jobe Watson is in the same boat as Winderlich with regards to slight groin soreness. We have to nurture these young players and make sure these soft tissue injuries aren't aggravated,"" Quinn said.
Jordan Bannister is recovering well from the operation on his broken collarbone. ""Jordan has movement back in his shoulder region and is able to do bike work. He is making good progress,"" Quinn said. Joel Reynolds is also recovering well from surgery he had last week on his groin. Reynold's had been fighting off osteitis pubis all season but finally succumbed to the injury. ""The good news for Joel is by having surgery now it ensures he will be fully recovered by the start of pre-season,"" Quinn said.
The Bendigo Bombers recorded its fifth win in succession yesterday and kept its finals aspirations alive. The team still sits in ninth place, just one game out of the top eight. The good news to come out of the match against Sandringham is that there was no injuries to report.
Essendon fullback Dustin Fletcher is on track to play his 200th game this week for the club. Fletcher debuted as a 17-year-old in 1993 and went on to play in the premiership that season. He was also a member of the 2000 premiership team. Fletcher received All Australian selection in 2000 and also won the club’s best and fairest award in the same year.
