Essendon captain Dyson Heppell could miss the remainder of the 2020 season after scans confirmed he sustained an ankle injury at training on Friday.
SEN's Sam Edmund earlier reported Heppell had his ankle caught in a tackle with a teammate in the last session before Sunday's clash against Melbourne.
Essendon football boss Dan Richardson confirmed the news on Friday afternoon.
“Unfortunately, Dyson sustained the injury when tackled towards the end of our training session on Friday morning,” Richardson told the Essendon website.
“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.”
EARLIER
Essendon captain Dyson Heppell’s wretched luck has continued after he suffered an ankle injury at training today.
SEN’s Sam Edmund is reporting that the Bombers midfielder has sustained a serious ankle issue which could keep him sidelined for several weeks.
“He got his left ankle caught up in a teammate in a tackle,” he said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“My understanding is that there’s a broken bone in there that’s going to keep him out for several weeks.
“Shocking luck for the skipper who only just got himself back into the side after all those off-season dramas (with his foot).
“This is not foot-related, it’s an ankle and a break in there of some kind.”
Heppell has battled a troublesome foot problem in recent times, restricting him to 18 games last season. He was back in the Bombers line-up for last weekend’s narrow win over Sydney.
The 2-0 Dons take on Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
Dyson Heppell has suffered a pretty serious ankle injury at training today. I understand there's a fracture there that's going to keep him out for several weeks. Shocking luck for the skipper. More to come at https://t.co/5hhj3jzPVZ and on @DwaynesWorldSEN shortly.
— Sam Edmund (@Sammy__Edmund) June 19, 2020