SEN footy analyst David King has praised Essendon key forward Shaun McKernan for playing through a hamstring injury during his side’s win over Melbourne.
McKernan kicked four goals for the game, had eight score involvements and took four contested marks, but will now miss six to seven weeks with the injury.
King believes McKernan’s decision to go back out after half-time galvanised the group and helped lead to their eight-goal run that turned the game.
“It sounds like he did his hamstring half-way through the second term and he was flying, I think he already had three goals at that stage,” King told SEN’s Whateley.
“He’d set them on a path and gave them energy, gave them hope and gave them a quality forward 50 target.
“At half-time, I think the Bombers were of the opinion that with Devon Smith doing a concussion test and maybe not coming back on and Kobe Mutch had already been injured, it became about can you just play for us and Shaun put his hand up and said I want to play.
“When you’ve been in that situation where Essendon have been for a couple of weeks, with the football world having their eyes on them, so when Dyson Heppell and the leaders get around the fact that this guy knows he’s going to miss two to three weeks and risk his body – we know now he’ll miss six or seven – this is the sacrifice we’re talking about.
“To see him go back out in the second half, he kicked a goal when he needed it, I think he took three contested marks, it’s just awesome.
“Sometimes when you’re at a club that’s struggling, you just need someone to say I’ll put the team first and I think it permeated through the group.
“So when you hear about this in the aftermath, there’s no surprise they came out the way they did, with such energy. It was a special effort.”
Mitch Brown and James Stewart put their hands up to replace McKernan for Essendon’s clash with Brisbane this week, kicking five and four goals respectively in the VFL.
