Top Essendon draftee Sullivan Robey is facing a limited start to his first AFL pre-season due to a back injury.
As reported by AFL Media's Callum Twomey, Robey won't train fully prior to Christmas to manage his recovery.
He will slowly integrate into full training in January.
Robey has grown more than 17cm in the past two years, which led to the explosive midfielder-forward bolting onto the draft radar in the second half of 2025.
It's unclear how long Robey has had the concern. He played the Coates Talent League finals series with a cracked collarbone and was noted throughout the year for his toughness.
Essendon used Pick 9 to select the 18-year-old, as part of a quintet of selections at last week's AFL National Draft, alongside Jacob Farrow, Dyson Sharp, Max Kondogiannis and Hussien El Achkar.
