ESSENDON youngster Jayden Laverde faces an extended stint on the sidelines after suffering a "serious" AC joint injury against Geelong at the MCG on Sunday.

Laverde came from the field in the second quarter and, after going straight into Essendon's rooms to be assessed, spent the rest of the game on the interchange bench with his arm in a sling.

TALKING POINTS: Ex-Cats shown plenty of respect

"He wasn't good enough to come on the ground and it looks like a serious one, which means definitely missing some games," Bombers coach John Worsfold said after Saturday's game.

"It is disappointing for Jayden but a small hiccup, a small obstacle for him. He's got a bright future, we can see that.

"(He has to) deal with this injury and do the work and be ready for his next opportunity, whether (it's) in a few weeks' time or a month's time."

Leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins told 3AW he expected Laverde had suffered a severe dislocation of the collarbone and would likely require surgery.

Click here for John Worsfold's full post-match press conference

Laverde was playing his first senior game for 2016 after overcoming an ankle injury.

The Bombers' second pick in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft, at No.20 overall, debuted in round 15 last season and did not miss a game for the rest of the season.

On a more positive note for the Bombers, key defender Michael Hartley was outstanding against the Cats, holding star forward Tom Hawkins goalless.

The 22-year-old Hartley, who spent 2012-13 on Collingwood's rookie list, was playing just his third AFL game on Saturday, but appeared far from overawed standing Hawkins.

Worsfold said Hartley had been forced to step up more quickly than the Bombers envisaged when they gave him a second AFL chance in last year's national draft.

"He's really embracing his opportunities. We drafted him with the view of what he'd achieved over the last couple of years of his footy (with Coburg in the VFL) and the commitment he'd made to have a crack at trying to get on to an AFL list," Worsfold said.

"So he hasn't let anyone down in his desire to keep improving and he's certainly getting bigger opportunities and bigger tasks than maybe he was expecting four months ago.

"But we'll challenge him to keep stepping up and learning from those."

Bomber spearhead Joe Daniher also emerged from Saturday's game without a goal next to his name.

Daniher's direct opponent Tom Lonergan played him tightly, but the Don was often double and triple-teamed in marking contests as Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson left their men to give Lonergan a hand.

Worsfold said he was happy with the way Daniher had competed against the Cats given the supply he received.

"All our forwards at the moment have to understand that it's tough for them because we're not getting it up there really quickly and we're not getting it up there a lot," the Dons coach said.

"So their opportunities are fairly limited and that can frustrate them but they need to, like all of us, be aware of where we're heading with all of this and what we're trying to work on and just keep competing for us."