Tuesday night’s clash between West Coast and Essendon has left both teams with a significant injury concern.
The Eagles held off the Bombers by 15 points, but will now be without captain Luke Shuey as he battles a hamstring injury.
“(Shuey) came out and ran around (in the fourth quarter), he didn’t do any more damage,” Eagles coach Adam Simpson said post-game.
“He is probably going to miss a couple of weeks, so that probably takes us to the end of the season.
“We’ve got a few injuries, like everyone, and it was our third game in nine days … it’s the battle of the fittest at the moment.”
As for the Bombers, midfielder Andrew McGrath finished the game on crutches and appears to have a serious ankle injury.
“(It) looks bad. We won’t guess at the diagnosis,” Essendon coach John Worsfold said post-game.
“It’s a high-ankle sprain, which usually translates to syndesmosis.”
Essendon and West Coast both play on Sunday, taking on Geelong and the Western Bulldogs respectively.