McPhee To Face Test

Essendon's popular $288k def/forward Adam McPhee will face a test later in the week to prove his fitness for the Bombers' Friday clash with Carlton.

McPhee, owned by almost 20,000 DT coaches, hurt his calf in Essendon's win over Melbourne last Friday but played on and should probably be okay for this weekend.

Essendon's $368k midfielder Brent Prismall will also face a test after copping a nasty ribs injury against the Demons

But like McPhee, Prismall played on against Melbourne so it's likely he would be okay to play his third game for the Bombers. Prismall's lofty price has scared off many DT coaches, but with a breakeven of 108 this weekend his value could drop to an affordable level with his third game coming up.

Other news from Windy Hill is popular $134k defender Michael Hurley's (owned by over 15,000 DT coaches) return from injury is likely to be through the VFL.

Bombers coach Matthew Knights said, "When I see Michael's name up on the magnet board, it's very enticing to put him in for a big game against Carlton.

"He's a young player we think a lot of. The reality is, he hasn't played a game of football yet in five or six weeks. He'll play in the VFL this week, between 80 to 90 minutes, as will Tom Bellchambers."

Bellchambers, a $139k ruck, is owned by over 5,000 DT coaches and hasn't played since Round 10 due to a knee injury.

Essendon also revealed $308k def/midfielder Bachar Houli would probably miss out again due to a virus, while Henry Slattery and Nathan Lovett-Murray were both close to a recall after injury and suspension respectively.