ZACH Merrett's 250th game has been put on hold after the Essendon captain broke his hand in last Friday night's loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.

The five-time Crichton Medallist will undergo surgery to have a plate inserted, ruling him out of Friday night's clash against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.

Merrett is only expected to miss one game and is aiming to be available for the round 24 clash against Carlton next Thursday night, before the Bombers end 2025 against Gold Coast.

The 29-year-old played out the game after breaking his hand in the third quarter before scans on Saturday revealed the fracture.

Essendon has lost its past 10 games amid an injury crisis, with 10 players ruled out for the rest of the campaign and two others – Nate Caddy and Ben McKay – in doubt.

Kyle Langford returned on managed minutes in the VFL on Saturday and could return for the first time since round 11 – and for just seventh senior game of 2025 – after recovering from a quad strain.

Archie May injured his ankle against the Cats but is yet to be ruled out of the round 23 clash against the Saints.

Meanwhile, Dylan Shiel is facing a one-game suspension after the Match Review Officer Michael Christian referred the veteran midfielder to the Tribunal for rough conduct.

Shiel shoved Geelong defender Mark O'Connor into a marking contest that resulted in a dangerous incident where Luamon Lual landed on his head.

The AFL is looking for that sanction under a clause in the Tribunal's guidelines where careless conduct encapsulates all players, not just opponents.

If Shiel is banned, Essendon could have 17 players unavailable this week.