ESSENDON coach Matthew Knights isn’t hitting the panic button despite it looking likely that he will only be able to pick from a list of 26 fit players for Saturday’s clash with Collingwood at the MCG.
Knights has endured a nightmare run with injuries in his first season at the helm at the Bombers, with the club’s injury list currently the longest in the AFL.
Several key players have been struck down at different stages of the year, with promising forward Jay Neagle (ankle) the latest to be hit by the Windy Hill injury curse.
But Knights says he will continue to guide his young side in the same manner and has the belief they can remain on their upward curve in the final rounds.
“I’m calm about it, I’ve been through it earlier in the year and you’ve just got to endear with the players that you put out there with confidence that they can get the job done,” Knights said.
“I think it’s important that for the last six weeks of the home and away season we endeavour to win as many games as possible and continue this better vein of form that we’ve had.”
Knights said he was thinking longer-term with his promising list and the health of his future stars would not be jeopardised for short-term gain – especially given his club’s faint finals hopes all but ended with Saturday’s loss to Richmond.
“I won’t take any risks with players with chronic-type injuries,” Knights said.
“We’ve still got 26 available … it sounds like [I’m] talking as if it’s a luxury but you only need 22 [each week].
“We’re fine for the moment.
“No matter who we put out there I expect us to play some solid football against Collingwood this week.”
Asked if his heavy injury toll limited his ability to get the four points Knights was philosophical, saying he had been in a similar situation before.
“It does but … after round three this year we had six or eight go down all of a sudden,” Knights said.
The Bombers coach confirmed Neagle was likely to have surgery “in the next week or so”, however the news might be better regarding Dustin Fletcher – a late withdrawal before the Tigers clash – and weekend injury victims Angus Monfries (ankle) and Andrew Welsh (concussion).
“We’re pretty confident Dustin will be available,” Fletcher said.
“Angus is endeavouring to get up, but then Angus would endeavour to get up with four different injuries at the one time – that’s Angus.
“Welshy will have to get through training tomorrow … obviously it was a pretty significant knock because he was in another world on Saturday.”
Knights confirmed that Andrew Lovett would definitely serve the second week of a club-imposed suspension despite his club’s injury woes.
