Bombers forward Kyle Langford expected to miss multiple weeks after a hamstring injury in the loss to Hawthorn

Essendon’s Kyle Langford is expected to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, the third injury to hit a Bombers’ forward in recent weeks as coach Brad Scott hints at a structure change.

Essendon coach Brad Scott is bracing to be without goal kicker Kyle Langford for several weeks after he injured his hamstring during Friday night’s loss to Hawthorn.

Langford, who kicked 94 goals across his past two seasons, kicked two majors before he clutched at his right hamstring on a lead.

Langford’s setback followed a concussion to Jordan Ridley and an ankle injury to best and fairest winner Peter Wright last week in the VFL.

Scott could not confirm the severity of Langford’s injury post game but conceded he would be without his star forward for at least two weeks.

“I wish I could tell you, I have got no idea but it’s going to be more than one,” he said.

Kyle Langford of the Bombers with his hamstring iced after game. Picture: Michael Klein

“We’ve got some players we think are playing pretty well at VFL level, the options open to us are either personnel based or structure based.

“Maybe, yep (change our game), but that’s what you have to do in this competition, we will just adjust.”

Kyle Langford missed the 2021 final and only played nine games after a recurring hamstring issue which needed surgery in 2022. Goes without saying the scans will tell the story but Essendon will be very concerned about whether it’s a similar issue @FOXFOOTYhttps://t.co/bwY1SYhgOE

— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) March 14, 2025

Essendon won the inside 50 count but were repelled by 20 intercept possessions between Hawks Josh Battle, James Sicily and Tom Barrass.

Scott credited the Hawks for their pressure, saying they forced the Bombers into making the wrong decisions.

“There’s definitely some things we were trying to do,” he said.

“Sometimes coaching is very easy and you think ‘why didn’t we do that?’ The opposition is out there and the pressure on the ball carrier was very good.

“They certainly hurried our decision making but the options were there – we just couldn’t find them.”

Hawthorn was disposing the ball by foot at 83 per cent compared to Essendon’s 60 at one stage during the third quarter.

Scott noticed the difference in efficiency but was pleased how his side fought back to win “most metrics” by the end of the game.

“They’re very good kicks, they sliced us up through the middle at stages and we sat back off them a little bit too much, particularly in the first quarter,” he said.

“I was pleased we were able to adjust that and get the game somewhat back on our terms and I thought in the second half we controlled big parts of it.

“The screen I looked at was flashing green on most metrics but the one I don’t look at so much was the scoreboard which wasn’t flashing green.”

Originally published as Bombers forward Kyle Langford expected to miss multiple weeks after a hamstring injury in the loss to Hawthorn