ESSENDON forward Harrison Jones will miss the rest of the season after undergoing an ankle reconstruction while he also deals with his back stress fracture.

Jones was already set to miss several months after being the third Bomber in a matter of months, alongside Zach Reid and Nik Cox, to suffer a serious back injury.

But after having ankle issues in recent years, the Bombers have also taken the chance to send Jones in for ankle surgery so he can recuperate and recover ahead of the next pre-season.

The back injury had been prescribed as 10-12 weeks on the sidelines, with his ankle surgery ruling him out of any chance to return this year.

It will open up a second pick for the Bombers to use at next week’s mid-season rookie draft if they choose, with the club already having a live pick available for the draft.

The 22-year-old Jones played the first five games of this season in Essendon’s forward half and has booted 35 goals from 31 games in his career.

He is out of contract with the Bombers this year.