AFL 2024: Sam Draper will not play VFL, says Essendon coach

Several highly rated Essendon players could be forced out of the Bombers’ side against West Coast as a fleet of first-choice team members return from injury.

Essendon ruckman Sam Draper will immediately return to the AFL side if he is passed fit after knee surgery, according to coach Brad Scott. Picture: Kelly Defina / Getty Images

Essendon coach Brad Scott says Sam Draper will be picked against West Coast if fit as the Bombers’ match committee grapples with unprecedented player availability.

The 25-year-old ruckman will play his first game since round 7 at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon if he is cleared to return from a knee arthroscopy.

Mason Redman (hamstring), Will Setterfield (knee) and Xavier Duursma (quad) have all put their hands up to face the Eagles, potentially leaving Darcy Parish and Zach Reid as the only players unavailable from the Bombers’ best side.

“The more I work through it, the harder it gets,” Scott said on Thursday.

Essendon recruit Xavier Duursma is a strong chance to return from a quad injury against West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Sunday. Picture: Dylan Burns / Getty Images

“As we always do, we’ll get through the main session and get all the information we need to make a final decision, but we’re in a good position where we definitely have selection dilemmas … where we’ve got players who deserve to be picked in the AFL side who unfortunately won’t be this week.”

Scott said there was no prospect of Draper returning through the VFL if he was fit to play, with the ruckman set to resume his partnership with Todd Goldstein.

“We’re probably in the same boat as West Coast, if you talk about Oscar Allen and Sam Draper,” he said.

“They’ve probably by all accounts been ready for some footy at some level but with byes, VFL byes and those sort of things he (Draper) wasn’t able to play last week, but he’s been ready to play.

Essendon coach Brad Scott says ruckman Sam Draper won’t play in the VFL when he returns from knee surgery, with a possible comeback against West Coast on Sunday. Picture: Michael Klein

“I think he’s more likely to play AFL than VFL and it’ll be a question on if he plays, he will play AFL, or if he doesn’t play AFL, he won’t play at all.”

With fifth-placed GWS tasked with a tough battle against Sydney, the Eagles clash will offer the Bombers a chance to consolidate their position in the top four, but Scott said he was not wasting any time worrying about ladder permutations.

“All we’ve done is created an opportunity for ourselves in the first half of the year. I think we should have an awareness of that and not close our eyes and put our fingers in our ears and try and pretend it’s not happening,” he said.

“But in elite sport you have to focus on process and all the things that get you to the point we’re at right now.

“There’s huge risk in speculating and dreaming about what’s possible. I think you can have an awareness of what’s possible, but if you take your eye off the ball for a second in this competition you get exposed.”

Originally published as AFL 2024: Sam Draper will not play VFL, says Essendon coach