ESSENDON'S 16-point loss to Collingwood has been soured with four fresh injuries, while the Magpies also failed to emerge unscathed.
Bombers Patrick Ambrose (hamstring), Jake Stringer (leg) and David Myers (calf) all had issues throughout Sunday's MCG clash, while Orazio Fantasia was a late withdrawal due to a groin niggle.
Magpie Flynn Appleby tore a hamstring late, while Will Hoskin-Elliott suffered what coach Nathan Buckley described as a badly bruised leg.
PIES IN SEVENTH HEAVEN Full match coverage and stats
Ambrose grabbed at his right hamstring after pulling up short while chasing Magpies opponent Jaidyn Stephenson at the start of the second term.
The Bombers backman limped from the field and went down to the rooms before coming back onto the bench and placing an ice pack on the back of his right leg.
Ambrose has played just seven matches in 2018 after missing the start of the season with a wrist injury suffered at training in the pre-season.
Essendon coach John Worsfold said the injuries took their toll.
"We just ran out of legs really, in the end," he said.
"Losing Ambrose early, and Stringer was carrying a leg pretty much that whole second half but stayed out there for us, and Myers got a kick in the calf as well, which left him hobbling, but we needed him to keep going through the midfield because we'd lost (Matt) Guelfi to have to play back.
"In the end, that was what got us."
MILESTONE MAN DELIVERS Five talking points
Worsfold hopes Fantasia's concern should have him fine to play on Saturday night away to Gold Coast.
"Fantasia hopefully next week might be available," he said.
"Groin. It was very minor. We were hopeful that he might have felt OK yesterday but he could still just feel it so we'll monitor that.
"Ambrose has done a hamstring. Stringer, very tight calf. We're not really sure. It was really limiting him but he gutsed it out for us and did what he could. Myers was a kick in the calf, I think. You don't know what damage that's done, so we'll have to assess that later."
For the Pies, Hoskin-Elliott suffered a badly bruised shin, just below his kneecap, when Mitch Brown cannoned into his right leg in the opening quarter.
Hoskin-Elliott was able to play the match out but was notably proppy and will be tested this week, while young defender Appleby is set to miss a month after his hamstring tear.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said the club would monitor Hoskin-Elliott, but fears Appleby will miss a big chunk of football.
"It was knee on knee at the front of his (Hoskin-Elliott) shin. It's just a really badly bruised leg. Obviously that will take some time to settle and we'll see how he goes over the next couple of days," Buckley said.
"It looked like a hammy (for Appleby). We'll get scans and gauge the significance of it but you'd think he'd miss a month of footy with that (injury)."
Will Hoskin-Elliott injured his right knee in this contest with Mitch Brown. #AFLDonsPies pic.twitter.com/ZnQQuqYlEz
— AFL (@AFL) July 8, 2018