Essendon coach Brad Scott has confirmed that star ruckman Sam Draper has suffered an Achilles injury.
Draper came from the field early in the fourth quarter after falling to the ground without any contact, one of the telling indicators of an Achilles tendon tear or rupture.
Following assessment by medical staff, Draper would not return to the field for the rest of the game.
Scott confirmed the news post-game, and while the severity of the injury has yet to be confirmed, the Bombers are resigned to the fact that another ruck will be on the sidelines for potentially the remainder of the season.
Draper's injury comes just a week after Nick Bryan ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Melbourne.
Sam Draper left the field following this incident.#AFLEaglesDons pic.twitter.com/67xTQ5Zw0c
— AFL (@AFL) April 18, 2025
"It looks like an Achilles, but the severity of it, we're concerned about it," Scott said.
"I'm sort of reluctant to make big statements about it, because we don't know for sure. But at three-quarter-time, he had some calf tightness on the other side, which I was rightly concerned about, and we were concerned about.
"He played out the quarter, felt fine, and was right to go. So when he went down, I just assumed it was that calf, but it was actually the Achilles on his other leg.
"It sounds like one of those classic Achilles injuries where he thought he was kicked, but no one kicked him, unfortunately."
The ruck stock depletion means 36-year-old veteran Todd Goldstein is now up for selection as the Bombers lose their two preferred rucks in back-to-back weeks.
Goldstein, who has begun transitioning into a ruck coach role, has been biding time in the reserves but maintained "elite" physical condition in case the need for a call-up.
As Scott reflected post-game, "Well, now we need him."
"I've clearly been a huge fan of his for a long time, but this has been a new challenge for him," Scott said.
"To have one of the best ruckmen in the history of the game be prepared to sit and effectively work as a ruck coach but also preparing himself to play each week and to accept that role โฆ not many players can do that.
"He's a proud competitor and he wants to perform, but just constantly he said to me, 'I'll be ready. When you need me, I'll be ready'. Well, now we need him."
Goldstein will likely play his first AFL game since Round 19 last year in one of the biggest marquee games on the AFL calendar in the ANZAC Day clash against Collingwood.
Scott also said that wingman Xavier Duursma was taken to hospital for precautionary reasons after copping a knee to the abdomen from Eagles ruckman Matthew Flynn.
"The message to me was we think he's fine, but we've got to check," Scott said.
After surviving a late scare, the Bombers move to a 3-2 record for the season.
