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InjuryIQ

Melbourne vs Essendon — AFL 2026 Round 14

Round 14

Match details

Home & Away
Round 14
Full time
Melbourne
95–50
Essendon
15th
of 18 · index 18Round Health Score (0–100), last 5 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
13th
of 18 · index 30Round Health Score (0–100), last 5 rounds. Scores drift down league-wide as the season's injury load builds — read the slope relative to the league, not the level.

Evenly matched on squad health.

Season 10th of 18 · index 43−5vs season
Season 18th of 18 · index 16+5vs season

Head-to-head

8Ongoing injuries9
4Long-term (LTI)4
5 dDays' rest6 d

MEL on a short 5-day turnaround — at/under the 5-day congestion mark.

3Games in 21 days2
1,891 kmLast month air km2,718 km
Squad stabilityMEL 14thESS 6th 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 (MEL 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.
Sat 13 June · 1:15pm·Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
State
VIC
Surface
Natural grass
Roof
Open roof
Capacity
100,024

Injuries from this game

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

MEL
  • •Harrison Petty
    Minor
    Hamstring· typically ~2 gamesHamstring strain sustained in the Round 14 win over Essendon. Described by the club as not…
  • •Lukas Cooke
    Minor
    Head/Neck· typically ~3 gamesFacial/cheekbone injury after a head clash with Essendon Ben McKay in the second quarter…
ESS
  • •Archie Roberts
    Moderate
    Shoulder· typically ~6 gamesDislocated left shoulder upon an awkward landing while tackling in the second quarter vs…

Back from injury

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

MEL

None returned

ESS

Current injuries

Every ongoing injury carried by each squad today (17 across both). Injuries sustained in this game are in the casualty report above.

MEL hold a slight availability edge (9 ongoing injuries to 8); ESS 4 of them long-term.

MEL
  • Brody Mihocek
    LTI

    Head/Neck — Unstable Cervical Fracture

    Long-term
    In rehab
    Due Oct 1
  • Andy Moniz-WakefieldDEF
    LTI

    Knee — ACL Tear

    Long-term
    Injury-proneDue Feb 27, 2027
  • Jai CulleyMID
    LTI

    Knee — ACL Tear

    Long-term
    Injury-proneDue Feb 1, 2027
  • Jack VineyMID
    LTI

    Ankle/Foot — Achilles Tendinopathy

    Severe
    Due Aug 15
  • Xavier LindsayMID

    Groin/Hip — Groin Strain

    Moderate
    Due Jul 26
  • Harrison PettyFWD
    Recurrence

    Hamstring — Hamstring Strain

    Minor
    Possible return
    Due this week
  • Bayley FritschFWD
    Recurrence

    Wrist/Hand — Hand/Wrist Injury (General)

    Minor
    IronmanDue this week
  • Max HeathRUC

    Shoulder — Shoulder Injury (General)

    Minor
    Injury-proneDue this week

Signals

  • 2recurrences
  • 2awaiting diagnosis
  • 3durability-fragile
  • Body regions: 2× knee
  • What they lose: 3 midfielders, 2 forwards, 1 defender, 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.