Essendon concedes Joe Daniher has been playing sore

UPDATE: A NAGGING groin injury will sideline struggling Essendon forward Joe Daniher for at least four weeks after scans detected early signs of osteitis pubis.

Joe Daniher has failed to fire this season. Picture: Getty Images

A NAGGING groin injury will sideline Joe Daniher for at least four weeks.

Essendon confirmed scans today detected early signs of osteitis pubis and has decided to rest their struggling forward.

The Bombers conceded Daniher, who is battling a form slump, has been playing through soreness sore in recent weeks with assistant coach Mark Harvey revealing he may be feeling the effects of a residual groin injury.

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“Yeah. I think it’s been catching up on him, yeah,” he said on Tuesday.

“Over pre-season he had a groin issue, so we managed his pre-season. He got that right … but I just think with the dynamics of playing since Round 1 now that it might be just concerning him a little more than what it was.”

Essendon forward Joe Daniher will miss at least four weeks with a groin injury. Picture: AAP

Daniher has kicked eight goals in seven games, with the Bombers set to meet to “have a discussion ... and we’ll work out where Joe goes from here”.

Bombers great Matthew Lloyd — who declared he believed the forward should be dropped or played in the ruck as a circuit breaker to find form — said on Monday night that he believed Daniher had been “limited in his training” and could miss a minimum of four weeks with the issue and that the club “feel like they’re not doing him any favours rolling him out there each week”.

But Harvey said there was no plan at this stage to have him out for that long.

“Not at this stage,” he said on SEN.

“He did have some tests (on Monday) afternoon — I’m not privy to those results yet.

“We’ll have a discussion about Joe and where he’s at, I’d imagine.”

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