Essendon is expected to bring back All-Australian midfielder Darcy Parish, top ruckman Sam Draper, and emerging sensation Ben Hobbs for this weekend’s match against Sydney.
Coach Brad Scott believes everyone will be medically cleared before Thursday night’s team reveal, and their selection will be based on training performance.
Draper has played three VFL games in preparation for his return after having serious groin surgery in September of last year.
While Scott has been cautious with his star ruck and relied on experienced recruit Todd Goldstein to handle the load in his absence, Draper’s selection is certain.
“Let’s do everything we can to get him back to the Sam Draper that we know, rather than rushing him back because he makes our team look better on paper,” coach Brad Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
“Provided he trains well, I suspect we’ll pick him.”
Darcy Parish, the 2021 All-Australian and Anzac Day medalist, should also be available for selection following a temporary absence due to a hamstring issue.
While he will substantially improve the Bomber midfield’s ball-winning ability, there is legitimate concern that Parish’s selection may jeopardise the position of budding star Archie Perkins.
“I believe he (Parish) will be made medically available,” Scott explained.
“It will be more a coaching decision than a medical decision.
“If he’s medically available and trains well then he’ll play.”
The final player is explosive 20-year-old Ben Hobbs, who suffered a shoulder injury during match simulation in February, setting back his preseason.
He was anticipated to return before the season began, but he has been held back to allow his AC joint to fully heal.
“He’s had a fantastic preseason, but he had an unfortunate injury in terms of timing,” Scott said of his young player.
“He’s ready to play AFL footy… he’ll come into our team, whether it’s this week or next week.”
With his foot ailment, veteran Dylan Shiel remains a test, but he will need some time to return to the lineup after not playing a competitive match since early July of last year.
Scott played down the 31-year-old’s return, indicating that Shiel’s selection will take some time.
“He’s just missed a lot of footy… almost a year since he’s played some footy,” he said.
“It’s just great to see him back out there but I think he needs some more work.”
Scott explained that the team was informed that Mason Redman’s ban for striking Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe was not worth appealing.
“Our advice was that he had no chance of winning an appeal,” stated the judge.
“It would be negligent to give up $10,000 of our soft cap to try and challenge an un-winnable appeal.”
While Redman will be out for one week, the prospect of three key additions is a bright spot for Scott’s Bombers, who face Sydney at the SCG on Saturday night in the hopes of starting 2024 2-0.
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