Senior coach John Longmire has confirmed his side for Round 23 with Chad Warner and Robbie Fox ruled out due to injury.
The pair will be missed as the club looks to close out the home-and-away season strong ahead of September. Warner has played every game this season and been particularly prolific on the scoreboard booting 31.16.
Meanwhile, Fox who suffered a shoulder injury in Round 10 has been dealt another blow with a knock to his kidney. The 102-gamer is an important swingman for the team thanks to his ability to play forward and back.
"Foxy got a knock to his kidney last week and we really didn't know anything about it until after the game so he pulled up a bit sore and misses this week," Longmire told Sydney Swans Media.
"Chad unfortunately pulled up with a sore calf so he also misses this week and hopefully should be available for next week."
The pair will be replaced with the return of Lewis Melican who has been managed with hamstring tightness as well as Corey Warner, who is set to appear sixth AFL game in 2024. Caiden Cleary, another young up-and-comer for the side will play his fourth career game after making his debut Round 15.
Round 23 is expected to be closely contested at Marvel Stadium this Friday night with the Bombers fighting to secure a place in the top eight. Longmire said it will prove a test for his team after last week's clutch three-point victory.
"We’ve always prepared for the opposition's best and Essendon's best is a really high standard," the coach admitted.
"We've got to make sure that we put together four quarters - that's what we're after - and put some pressure on the opposition when they've got the ball. Win the contest, get it going our way as much as we can."
It's the team's final outing in Melbourne for the regular season and one not to be missed for our Victorian fans. First bounce is 7:40pm this Friday.
