Bombers defender succumbs to another hamstring injury

Ridley was subbed out of the Bombers' 93-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs in the second quarter with what the club described as "tightness".

But Essendon coach Brad Scott is fearful Ridley has damaged his hamstring for the third time this year.

The one-time Crichton medallist has been restricted to just 19 games over the last two seasons due to repeated to injuries.

"A hamstring strain, almost certainly," Scott said.

"We subbed him out immediately. 

"When he feels his hamstring, there's no point sugar coating it.

"He'll go get a scan, and I hope to God I'm wrong. But doubt it.

"It's incredibly frustrating, devastating, all the words that you can possibly think of to describe it."

The Bombers have used 13 debutants this season - the equal most of any team in the AFL era - as injuries have ruined any hope they had this year.

Essendon have 10 first-choice players currently unavailable, leading the Bombers to part ways with their high performance boss at the end of the season.

The capitulation to the Bulldogs was their eighth-straight defeat, slumping to 6-12 with a percentage of 71.7 - the third lowest in the league.

Essendon still have five games remaining this season - many in primetime - giving their inexperienced players a golden opportunity to impress.

"It is a privilege to play AFL football, to be a part of it, so never take anything for granted," Scott said.

"I sort of get that people, could be forgiven for thinking, 'well, what's there to be gained for us' - there's an enormous amount to be gained.

"Because we are playing some players who wouldn't get an opportunity if we weren't in this situation, in terms of our availability.

"With that comes opportunity for them to get better and test themselves against really good players.

"I'm watching really closely to see how tight the group stays, how much fight they've got.

"Because if you can fight and you can go through the hard times, it builds character and resilience for when we can execute better."

Australian Associated Press