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InjuryIQ

Western Bulldogs vs Essendon — AFL 2026 Round 4

Round 4

Match details

Home & Away
Round 4
Full time
Western Bulldogs
99–65
WBD by 34
Essendon
6th
of 18 · index 100Round Health Score (0–100), last 4 rounds. Scores drift down league-wide as the season's injury load builds — read the slope relative to the league, not the level.
Round health
16th
of 18 · index 59Round Health Score (0–100), last 4 rounds. Scores drift down league-wide as the season's injury load builds — read the slope relative to the league, not the level.
WBD entered healthier — 6th v 16th this round
Season 7th of 18 · index 66
Season 15th of 18 · index 38

Head-to-head

7Ongoing injuries9
2Long-term (LTI)4
16 dDays' rest8 d
1Games in 21 days2
654 kmLast month air km654 km
Squad stabilityWBD 15thESS 11th of 18

Value-weighted players used — 1st = most churn of key players, 18th = most settled. Weighted by player value (our metric), not raw squad size.

Soft-tissue = the OSIICS muscle/tendon family — the injuries most prone to recurrence (WBD 1, ESS 3).

What do these scores mean?
Round Health
— point-in-time (0–100, 100 = no injury absences), weighting current ongoing absences on a fixed scale comparable across rounds. The league average drifts down as the season's injury load builds, so low late-season numbers are normal.
Season Health
— cumulative season-to-date: value-weighted injury burden, availability and incidence. Load-managed rests are excluded from both.
Sun 5 Apr · 7:20pm·Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
State
VIC
Surface
Hybrid surface
Roof
Retractable roof
Capacity
56,347

Injuries from this game

What this game cost — players hurt in it, OSIICS-classified, each linked to its injury record.

WBD
  • •Tim English
    Moderate
    Knee· typically ~3 gamesMCL knee injury with significant bone bruising and swelling — limped off Q3 Round 4 vs…
  • •Arthur Jones
    Minor
    Hamstring· typically ~2 gamesHamstring injury — limped off in third quarter of Round 4 vs Essendon
ESS

No injuries reported

Back from injury

Players who returned from injury in this game, each linking to their profile.

WBD
ESS

Current injuries

Every ongoing injury carried by each squad today (16 across both). Injuries sustained in this game are in the casualty report above.

WBD carry the cleaner bill of health — ESS enter with 9 ongoing injuries to WBD's 7, 4 of them long-term.

WBD
  • Sam DarcyFWD
    LTI

    Knee — ACL Tear

    Long-term
    Injury-proneDue Mar 15, 2027
  • Connor BudarickFWD
    LTI

    Ankle/Foot — High Ankle Sprain

    Moderate
    Injury-proneDue Aug 17
  • Bailey DaleDEF

    Shoulder — Shoulder Fracture

    Moderate
    Due Aug 26
  • Laitham VandermeerFWD
    Recurrence

    Hamstring — Hamstring Strain

    Minor
    FragileDue this week
  • Tim EnglishRUC

    Chest/Torso — Back Injury (General)

    Minor
    Possible return
    Due tomorrow
  • Ryley SandersMID

    Wrist/Hand — Hand/Wrist Injury (General)

    Minor
    Possible return
    Due tomorrow
  • Nick CoffieldDEF

    Head/Neck — Concussion

    Minor
    Possible return
    Injury-proneDue tomorrow

Signals

  • 1recurrence
  • 2awaiting diagnosis
  • 4durability-fragile
  • What they lose: 3 forwards, 2 defenders, 1 midfielder, 1 ruckman

Recurrence flags repeat injuries to the same body region within 24 months.

Injury classifications use the OSIICS system (Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System). © John Orchard — Free to use with acknowledgment.