ESSENDON has suffered a big blow ahead of its clash against Gold Coast on Saturday night with Michael Hurley ruled out with a calf injury.

The star defender experienced some tightness in his calf after last week's loss to Adelaide.

The Bombers hope he'll miss just one match, but couldn't guarantee he will return for the final match of the home and away season against Fremantle.

"He's had some discomfort in the lead up to this week's match and scans have revealed a low grade strain," high performance manager Justin Crow said.

"It’s a 1-2 week injury, so at this stage we’re not ruling out Michael from making a return next week against the Dockers."

Hurley has played all 20 matches this year and is on track for a second All Australian guernsey.