Fletcher fractures hand

ESSENDON'S courageous four-point victory over Fremantle at Subiaco Oval has come at a price, with key defender Dustin Fletcher suffering a fractured left hand.

Fletcher had been involved in an absorbing duel with Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich, who had kicked three first half goals.

The injury occurred late in the second quarter when Fletcher found himself out of position in a marking duel and contested the ball one-handed.

He left the field immediately and could not return, spending the second half on the bench with the injury heavily iced.

Bombers coach Matthew Knights confirmed Fletcher had suffered a fracture but remained confident he would not miss many matches.

“It’s a fracture at this stage. (After) an initial discussion with Dustin, potentially, hopefully it’s only one or two weeks,” Knights said.

“So having a week off this week is a real positive for us. But even though he’s a senior player, if it’s an injury we won’t rush him. We’ve got to make sure someone of that quality is right.”

The Bombers have next week off before facing Brisbane, Richmond and Collingwood in their next three games.