JAMES Hird says he must wear responsibility for Essendon's horror injury run after the Bombers lost another player to a soft-tissue injury in their Anzac Day clash at the MCG on Wednesday.

Speaking after the Bombers' one-point loss to the Pies (an incredible result considering Michael Hibberd tore a hamstring 24 minutes into the first quarter), the Essendon coach admitted he was frustrated with the club's spate of soft-tissue injuries.

Hibberd was the club's ninth casualty for the season and the seventh Essendon player to suffer a hamstring tear this season. He is likely to miss three weeks.

Hird said a pre-season - one where the Bombers focused on stacking weight on their players - could be a reason for the spate of injuries.

"We put in place a program that, you know, I run the program and you have to take responsibility," Hird said.

But he also defended the program, saying it went a long way to the 4-1 start enjoyed by his team this season.

"Our players have been terrific and I think that with extra training has come the ability to stay in a game like that today, but [with it] also comes some injuries.

"There's a balance and we haven't probably got it right, but we'll work to get it right."

Hibberd joins Michael Hurley, Courtenay Dempsey, David Myers, Jason Winderlich, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Alex Browne all on the sidelines with hamstrings.

Despite the horror stretch, Hird says his list is in better shape than at the same time in 2011.

"We had more injuries than this last year.

"Different sorts of injuries, but we're a little bit healthier than we were last year.

"We've encountered it before. We'll work on it and we'll get it right.

"It's like everything in our game … if you don't push the limits you never get better and we've probably pushed the limit probably as far as we're prepared to go."

Mark McVeigh and David Hille, both with calf injuries, are also on the Essendon injury list.