ESSENDON forward Harrison Jones says his horrific-looking ankle injury has turned out better than first feared, but it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out of action.
Jones, Jordan Ridley (hamstring) and Jade Gresham (adductor) were injured on Thursday night in a costly 9.11 (65) to 9.8 (62) victory for the Bombers over North Melbourne.
The Kangaroos were also left counting the cost, with defender Jackson Archer set to miss some eight weeks with a high grade left hamstring strain.
Essendon confirmed on Friday night that Jones had suffered a minor fracture in the base of his foot but would not require surgery.
The 24-year-old was in good spirits when he briefly spoke to the media on Friday to give an update on his situation.
“I’m OK. I got two X-rays last night, no major breaks. It’s a lot better than it could have been,” Jones told reporters.
“I think I was in shock to be honest. I sort of looked down and saw my foot was the other way.
Ridley has had a roller-coaster career with quad and left hamstring injuries. This time, the problem was his right hamstring.
Scans have confirmed a high-level strain, which will sideline him for several weeks, but he has also avoided the need for surgery.
“Clearly, we rate him extremely highly, and he’s had to overcome some adversity,” Essendon coach Brad Scott said.
“And just as he looks like he’s starting to get a free run at it, gets another injury. But he’s been through it before, and he’ll be back, so hopefully that’s not too serious. “
Gresham, meanwhile, suffered a low-grade adductor strain and has been ruled out of next week’s meeting with Sydney.
Jade Gresham is tackled by Harry Sheezel during the R8 match between Essendon and North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on May 1, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Defender Zach Reid was understandably flat despite the win.
“To be honest, it doesn’t feel like a win in here because of the injuries,” Reid told AAP.
“The first 48 hours is pretty tough and Harry’s my housemate.
“He just headed off to hospital but I’ll get around him.”
Essendon are already without Sam Draper (achilles), Nick Bryan (ACL) and Tom Edwards (ACL) through season-ending injuries.
“It’s just another test of character,” Scott said.
“I’ve said to the players, character is a hard thing to measure.
“We try and do it in the draft now, like probably most clubs.
“The talent is pretty easy to identify, the hard thing’s to measure the intangibles, and character’s one of those and resilience is another one – and character and resilience really only reveal themselves under adversity.
“So we’ll just see how that goes, and we get an opportunity to stand up again under a bit of pressure.
“We’re going to have to find some players, but that’s an opportunity.
“We’ve had quite a few players in our emergencies multiple weeks in a row, so clearly we think they’re ready.”
