Essendon have confirmed that Jake Stringer will be available for selection this weekend after being sidelined with a hamstring injury, having missed the Bombers' Round 1 clash against Hawthorn.
Stringer was forced to sit out of Essendon's pre-season match against St Kilda due to hamstring tightness, with the Bombers ruling him out of the first clash of the season to build more fitness.
GM of High Performance Daniel McPherson confirmed Stringer's availability ahead of Sunday's clash against Gold Coast, but the club is yet to confirm whether the 28-year-old's return to footy will be through the AFL or VFL.
“Jake's progressed through all his training, he's ticked off all he needs to do,” McPherson said.
“From a high-performance perspective, he's good to go and will be available for selection this weekend.”
Elsewhere at the Bombers, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is in doubt for Round 2 after pulling up sore from Essendon's win over Hawthorn.
The Round 1 win was McDonald-Tipungwuti's first senior game since Round 21, 2021, with the club now confirming the 29-year-old will be on a modified program this week.
“He pulled up sore from his first game back in a long time,” McPherson said.
“We'll monitor his progress over the next couple of days and we'll have more info later in the week to make a call.”
Sam Weideman will also be required to prove his fitness before a Round 2 selection after suffering an impact injury on his toe during the Hawks clash, but the club remains 'hopeful' the key forward will be good to go by Sunday.
“He kicked the ground and pulled up with a bit of a sore toe, but we're hopeful he'll be right for Sunday,” McPherson said.
“He'll be on a modified program during the week and hopefully by Friday, he'll be back up and running.”
The club also confirmed that Peter Wright has undergone a successful operation on his shoulder, set to confirm a timeline on his expected return to the field in the coming days.
