Stringer suffers fresh hamstring setback
Essendon’s season from hell has continued with star forward Jake Stringer suffering another hamstring injury just weeks after returning to the side.
Stringer strained his right hamstring in the Bombers’ 32-point loss to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday and is likely to miss up to four weeks.
It continues a horrific run of injuries for the 28-year-old this year, having also dealt with a groin issue during the pre-season and a hamstring injury in his left leg which caused him to miss rounds four and five.
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“Scans today have confirmed the strain is to his right hamstring, which is the different side to his previous hamstring injury,” Essendon’s general manager of football, Josh Mahoney, said in a club statement.
“This is a reasonably standard 3-4 week injury, and Jake will use this time on the sidelines to ensure a full recovery to return for a strong second half of the season.”
Stringer’s injury comes at a woeful time for the 1-6 Bombers, whose forward line is already without the likes of Harrison Jones and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
After playing 19 games and kicking 41 goals last season, Stringer has struggled to stay on the park so far in 2022. When he has been in Essendon’s line-up, he has struggled to have the same impact he did last season, where he played large stints in the Bombers’ midfield.
Eyebrows were raised when Stringer and vice-captain Zach Merrett were both included in the team for its Anzac Day clash against Collingwood, with Stringer missing just two weeks with a left hamstring injury before his return.
Stringer’s injury, now his third of a soft tissue variety in the space of just months, raises questions over the injury management at Essendon, with a number of players suffering similar issues so far this season.
He joins Will Snelling on the sidelines, who was brought into the team in round four on the back of a calf injury before re-injuring it during his comeback match.
Defender James Stewart and versatile utility Kyle Langford have also been struck down with hamstring injuries this season.
The Stringer-less Bombers face arch-rivals Hawthorn in a must-win clash at Marvel Stadium in round eight.
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