AFL Player #31: Zach Reid - Hamstring - 4 to 6 weeks - 19/3

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 5, Happyskeret

 

[DERO]

Harry Jones also missed basically his entire year 1 with a stressy.

Shame though, definitely a shame

Harry Jones had a stress fracture in his foot though.

The problem with spinal fractures is they can't easily be immobilised, so don't heal. They can be a bit tricky.

 

[Lore]

Not the end of the world.

Young Essendon defender Zach Reid will likely be sidelined for the rest of the season, after scans revealed he had sustained a stress fracture in his lower back.

General manager of football Josh Mahoney

Josh Mahoney

Age

46

Ht

180cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.5

4star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.4

3star

said the club would take a conservative approach with the 19-year-old’s recovery.

“While disappointing for Zach and the club, these types of injuries are reasonably common for tall, young players of Zach’s build early in their careers,” Mahoney said.

“We’re being conservative in our approach to Zach’s rehabilitation and will likely rule him out for the remainder of the season. This is the best decision to ensure his longevity in what we know will be a long career with Essendon.

“As part of his individual program, we will support and build up Zach over the off-season and prepare him to complete a full pre-season leading into his second year."

Reid suffers stress fracture

First-year defender Zach Reid is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the season.

www.essendonfc.com.au

I do wonder though, if it's regarded as 'reasonably common for tall, young players' then surely there's extra care to be taken in building them up for the rigours of AFL footy? Focus more on training that isn't going to put more stress than their bodies can handle while the muscles and ligaments catch up to their bones?

Not that it's unique to Essendon by any means but you do wonder.

 

[blitzer]

Unfortunate but the club has the right idea in focusing on getting him right for the next preseason. He's young and has plenty of time.
We obviously handled it pretty well with Harry Jones considering the quality of his second year.

 

[Lore]

Paraphrased slightly...
"Likely to miss the remainder of the season, really unfortunate for the young fellow. Typically see this sort of injury a lot in young cricketers, tall, young body developing. He'll now enter into that rehab process so that's a month-to-month prospect to see how he comes up. The first month will be little activity and let him rest and let that heal."

Per video.

Injury news: Langford hamstrung, skipper sets sights on return

The latest on Kyle Langford, Dyson Heppell, Dylan Shiel and more.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[Lore]

Blazing the Trail | Zach Reid

Key defender Zach Reid reflects on his debut season in the red and black, thanks to House of Marley.

www.essendonfc.com.au

Apparently an hour before trade deadline was a good time to post this hahaha

 

[Travisty1331]

And it begins I hope we at least try him in front of the sticks

 

[Red Black and Blue]

What ever we do with him I hope we pick a position and leave him. Most premiership sides have settled lines that build cohesion for years and our constant switching hasn’t taken us anywhere.

 

[fairbump_playon]

The thing about back is that it’s the other team’s forward

If you reverse that you end up back anyway

So I say let’s do it

 

[MiguelM]

The thing about back is that it’s the other team’s forward

If you reverse that you end up back anyway

So I say let’s do it

 

[ant555]

Despite back being where he has the most exposure he has played a bit of forward and a touch of ruck as well.

 

[Godzke]

sounds like an inside midfielder for mine

 

[Bombers36]

I really do hope we try play him as a key position forward - rotating out of the square with Francis. I see this key position forward role as the area in which we are most lacking and we still really don't have a true key position forward outside of Jones....
Stringer is obviously our biggest threat when forward - but he will play lots of midfield minutes, 2MP a ruck/forward not sure you could ever call him a KPF, then there's guys like Baldwin/Eyre etc yet to play. If between them Reid & Francis can hold down that full forward role it will straighten us up a fair bit I reckon

 

[Towno78]

I really do hope we try play him as a key position forward - rotating out of the square with Francis. I see this key position forward role as the area in which we are most lacking and we still really don't have a true key position forward outside of Jones....
Stringer is obviously our biggest threat when forward - but he will play lots of midfield minutes, 2MP a ruck/forward not sure you could ever call him a KPF, then there's guys like Baldwin/Eyre etc yet to play. If between them Reid & Francis can hold down that full forward role it will straighten us up a fair bit I reckon

How exactly do you see both Reid and Francis in a forward line that will already contain Jones, 2MP and Stringer?

 

[Lore]

According to Dodoro the stress fracture has healed beautifully...

 

[Bombers36]

How exactly do you see both Reid and Francis in a forward line that will already contain Jones, 2MP and Stringer?

I think Stringer will play mainly mid - so Jones, 2MP and either Francis or Reid will be the forwards when Stringer is mid


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[Haychh]

It’s funny because watching his highlights he did always remind me of Naughton who has made the switch with great success. I thought that was a horrible decision by the Dogs at the time but you can’t argue with the results. I’m going to hold judgement on this one until we see what he can do up there.

 

[ghostdog]

I really do hope we try play him as a key position forward - rotating out of the square with Francis. I see this key position forward role as the area in which we are most lacking and we still really don't have a true key position forward outside of Jones....
Stringer is obviously our biggest threat when forward - but he will play lots of midfield minutes, 2MP a ruck/forward not sure you could ever call him a KPF, then there's guys like Baldwin/Eyre etc yet to play. If between them Reid & Francis can hold down that full forward role it will straighten us up a fair bit I reckon

Baldwin already has the body of a key forward. Reid is coming from a long way back in terms of his body being strong enough. I don't expect to see him getting games regularly until 2023. Hopefully he displaces Stewart.

 

[ant555]

How exactly do you see both Reid and Francis in a forward line that will already contain Jones, 2MP and Stringer?

You do not but the side will change in ways we will not expect. Cox could be the best CHB in the comp but he will have to push someone out to do that. It is nice to have options.

 

[ant555]

Baldwin already has the body of a key forward. Reid is coming from a long way back in terms of his body being strong enough. I don't expect to see him getting games regularly until 2023. Hopefully he displaces Stewart.

You may be surprised. The word is they will play him if he is fit. That is how highly they rate him. I am not hoping he displaces anyone in particular. Stewart did well enough at his first year as a defender.

 

[ghostdog]

You may be surprised. The word is they will play him if he is fit. That is how highly they rate him. I am not hoping he displaces anyone in particular. Stewart did well enough at his first year as a defender.

I hope I am. If Reid comes in though, I'm not sure who he replaces. Stewart seems the most obvious.

 

[Ambrosia]

I like the idea of trying him forward first. Much harder to find forwards the defenders.

 

[blitzer]

What ever we do with him I hope we pick a position and leave him. Most premiership sides have settled lines that build cohesion for years and our constant switching hasn’t taken us anywhere.

So you didn't like the switches of Laverde (especially) and Stewart back this year?

 

[Vindicater]

He is our key back long term.

Him and Ridley.

Oh mama.

 

[Bjchan13]

If he's going to play back in the AFL he'll need Stewart and Laverde alongside him for the first year and a bit while he finds his feet. Not sure who moves out of the backline out of Ridley, Kelly, Heppell, Redman and Hind though. If they want to play him forward id try that in the VFL. Dont think we need to rush him either end. 10-12 AFL games would be a good effort next year

 

[Red Black and Blue]

So you didn't like the switches of Laverde (especially) and Stewart back this year?

Entirely different thing as a Hail Mary to save a career. Another thing to unsettle lines every offseason because you haven’t developed a key forward in ten years.