Another Bomber blow as exciting forward goes down with ‘medium term’ injury

Essendon have been struck another injury blow as emerging forward Isaac Kako is ruled out with a stress injury in his back.

The 20-year-old kicked a clever goal on Anzac Day but was starved of opportunity as he collected 10 touches.

He has kicked seven goals in six matches but has been showing signs of improvement as he played his 29th game for the Bombers in just his second season.

Essendon football manager Dan MacPherson said the issue was revealed when Kako had scans on Monday morning.

“It’s a really disappointing setback for Isaac, who’d been playing some exciting footy for us in the early stages of this season,” MacPherson said.

“He’ll need to enter a period of rest now to let the injury settle, before building back up towards a return to play later in the season.”

The club identified his period of absence as medium term, which could mean between six and eight weeks, but was not prepared to be definitive.

Sullivan Robey, who played his third match on Saturday, had an interrupted pre-season with a hot spot in his back.

Kako, a next genereration academy graduate, was pick 13 in the 2024 national draft. He was part of an inexperienced forward line on Saturday alongside Robey, Nate Caddy, Archer Day-Wicks and Archer May.

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