Essendon has confirmed key forward Joe Daniher will not feature again in season 2019, due to the ongoing groin soreness.
The decision was made by club doctors and high-performance specialists in order to remain on top of the osteitis pubis injury, with the 25-year-old likely needing surgery.
The club's General Manager of Football Ops Dan Richardson stated that the decision was made in the best interest of Daniher and his long-term health.
"Joe has experienced a return in symptoms over recent weeks, including some loss of power and strength in his groin area," Richardson said.
"Last year Joe went through a conservative strength and rehabilitation program, which included rest, and given the nature of this injury, we needed to explore a number of injury management options.
"After thorough consultation, it has been determined that the most likely course of action now is to treat the osteitis pubis injury through surgery, which will be confirmed following further specialist consultation later next week.
"While it's incredibly disappointing to lose a player of Joe's calibre for the remainder of the season, the decision was made with the long-term health and welfare of Joe as the utmost priority."
Daniher spoke on his injury and the decision to sit out for the remainder of the season.
"Clearly I want to be out there with my teammates, but with the key people involved in this process we made the decision to go down this path with surgery more than likely," Daniher said.
"I've felt like I have done everything I could to get back to this point, but with this relapse, our options are now exhausted, which is obviously disappointing.
"We'll know more next week in terms of the surgery, but my focus will now be on my rehabilitation process and supporting my teammates in any way I can off the field for the remainder of the season."
Essendon believe their star forward to be available for the 2020 pre-season, and are now looking ahead to Saturday night's 'Dreamtime at the 'G' match against Richmond.
