Essendon coach John Worsfold says injury-prone forward Joe Daniher could make his long-awaited comeback within six weeks.
Daniher hasn’t played senior footy since Round 9 last year and has only managed 13 games since 2018 due to persistent groin issues.
The Bombers have opted to take a cautious approach in his long recovery but Worsfold has flagged the possibility of the star forward finally returning to senior footy in the coming weeks.
“The aim is to get him back playing footy as quickly as we can without rushing it,” Worsfold said on 3AW.
“We want (Daniher) when he gets back playing to have a career uninterrupted as much as possible and it’s what we are working towards. Whether it’s in 3-4 weeks or 5-6 I can’t answer that.
“He has been tracking along pretty well so it’s been great to have him on the training track.
“One thing about the training protocols is Joey has been able to get on the track with players earlier than if we were in full contact so it’s just been nice to have him out there.
“It might be four weeks, it might be six. Basically we are not focusing on date, it’s just keep progressing, working through it and then all of a sudden we will say he is ready to go. There is no strict time on that.”
Daniher’s inclusion would be a significant boost for an Essendon side who has only lost once so far in 2020.
The 26-year-old requested a trade away from the club at the end of last season before eventually being held to the final year of his contract.