Essendon have been dealt a massive blow after it was confirmed captain Dyson Heppell suffered a fractured ankle at training on Friday.
The Bombers confirmed the 28-year-old would undergo surgery on his left ankle in the coming days, with the injury placing the rest of his 2020 campaign in doubt.
“Unfortunately, Dyson sustained the injury when tackled towards the end of our training session on Friday morning,” Essendon footy manager Dan Richardson said.
“It’s an unrelated injury to his foot, but we immediately had the area scanned which identified a fracture in the left ankle.
“It’s very disappointing for both Dyson and the club. Currently, it is difficult to put a timeframe on a return prior to him having surgery, but we remain hopeful he will return to the field this season.”
Having started the season with two impressive victories, most recently over the Swans at the SCG, Heppell would have been hoping to lead the club to long-awaited finals win.
Heppell, who has played 170 games for the club since his 2011 debut, missed the season-opening win over the Dockers with complications related to surgery on a foot injury.
He was set to miss more football before the coronavirus shutdown gave him time to rehab the problem.
The latest setback is a bitter pill to swallow for the club who had been enjoying a positive start to the season and even received some good news on the Joe Daniher front earlier this week.
After two injury hit seasons, the key forward is reportedly nearing full fitness in training and eyeing off a return in the coming weeks.
