Essendon coach Brad Scott will be without the magnet of promising youngster Isaac Kako for the "short to medium term" after scans revealed a stress injury in the small forward's back.
The Calder Cannons product reported soreness in the area following his side's abysmal outing against Collingwood on Saturday, with scans on Monday morning revealing the extent of the injury.
Essendon's general manager of their AFL program, Daniel McPherson, offered comment in the wake of the unfortunate news.
“It's a really disappointing setback for Isaac, who'd been playing some exciting footy for us in the early stages of this season,” he said.
“He'll need to enter a period of rest now to let the injury settle, before building back up towards a return to play later in the season."
After an injury interrupted start to the campaign, Kako had worked his way into what has been a difficult period for his side, averaging 12 disposals, and kicking seven majors from six outings.
A clearer return to play timeline is expected to be communicated in the coming days.
