JAKE Stringer will play a full game in the VFL this week as he looks to build match time after an injury-interrupted pre-season, while Sam Weideman will be given up until AFL game day to prove his fitness.
Stringer was available for AFL selection this week after overcoming hamstring and back concerns, but the footy department has opted to instead give him a run in the reserves.
Weideman kicked the ground at some point during his Bombers debut against Hawthorn last weekend, and he warmed up with the rehab group at training on Friday morning, before appearing to go indoors.
He completed some very light skill work under the watchful eye of new development coach Michael Hurley, alongside Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (quad), Zach Reid (back), James Stewart (foot), Elijah Tsatas (knee) and Jayden Davey (knee).
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"It's just part of the build for Jake. He was medically available for round one, but we just really thought he needed another solid week of training – which he did, he matched or exceeded training loads last week – but then we want to set him up to play his best footy," coach Brad Scott said.
"There's definitely a temptation to look at the team on paper and say, 'gee, we're a better side with Jake in it', but you've got to give players the opportunity to be the best they can be. He will attract some attention when he comes back in, but I don't think it's the right thing to do, to bring in a player of his calibre when he's not absolutely, 100 per cent had good prep.
"He doesn't need to do anything outside the regular program. He'll play VFL this week, and that's the final bit of preparation for him to be available to play AFL footy. He'll play the whole game, and the only thing that might mitigate that is we've got a six-day break leading into the next game."
Essendon face an under-the-pump Gold Coast on Sunday, and with Peter Wright already sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, the Bombers could also be without fellow tall Weideman. The former Dee was named in the extended squad on Thursday night.
"He'll do a little bit today, depending on how he warms up, he might do a session indoors just to give him every chance to be in the best shape he can be for Sunday," Scott said before Friday's training.
"But there's also a chance he warms up and trains fully. To be perfectly honest, I need to talk to the medical guys as to how he is today. A little bit will depend on the session. Even if he doesn't train today, the likelihood is we'll give him right up until Sunday morning to prove his fitness."
Last week's comeback hero Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti will spend a short period on the sidelines with a quad issue.
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McDonald-Tipungwuti sat out the first half of 2022 for personal reasons, announcing an early retirement in May, before coming back onto the Bombers list for this season.
"He [wasn't] close at all, really, it was a pretty clear decision for us, unfortunately. It would have been nice if he was available. He's had a well-documented break from footy, but in terms of his pre-season, he hasn't missed a beat in terms of training sessions and all our match sim and practice games," Scott said.
"In 15 minutes of footy, he picked up a little bit of soreness which medical staff aren't concerned about long-term, but based around a whole range of factors, his last 600 days, it's just the prudent thing to do to make sure he's right."
