ESSENDON captain Matthew Lloyd remains unsure about the severity of the calf muscle injury that forced him out of Friday night's loss to the Western Bulldogs.

Lloyd pulled up sore from the win over Carlton and will undergo a scan to clarify whether the calf has just been sore or whether there is something more serious.

"I got through the game against the Blues, I woke up the next morning and couldn't walk down my stairs," he said.

"I thought it was just muscle soreness, which I'm still hoping it is, but I wasn't good enough to train on Thursday."

The Bombers lost Mark McVeigh and Sam Lonergan with hamstring injuries early in the last term on Friday night, prompting coach Matthew Knights to say the Bombers would thoroughly investigate their growing hamstring crisis.

"We are playing a different style of game and we have a young side, so maybe it is taking a bit of a toll," Lloyd said.

"Also, I reckon the AFL should look at three six-day breaks in a row, maybe that shouldn't happen to any side.

"It can bring on injuries, especially at Telstra Dome and the way the game is going.

"I'm actually looking for a spell for the first time in my career in a game."

Sam Mitchell and Tim Boyle were late withdrawals from the Hawthorn side that beat Adelaide, but they are expected to return for the trip to Brisbane.

As expected, scans showed North Melbourne defender Josh Gibson will need cartilage surgery on his left knee, sidelining him for two to three weeks.