ESSENDON has confirmed star forward Joe Daniher will miss at least the next four weeks after scans revealed he is suffering osteitis pubis.

Daniher managed groin soreness over summer and into the early rounds this season before scans on Monday confirmed the injury.

The 2017 All Australian has been a shadow of his best form, kicking two goals in his past three matches.

BATTLE OF THE BATTLERS: Blues-Bombers match preview

"Going right back at the very end of last season Joe had some groin pain," Essendon physical performance manager Justin Crow told the club's website.

"We gave him some time off and rest for the off-season, then a strengthening program and a progressive rehabilitation and build up throughout the pre-season to the point where he was up and playing games at the start of the year."

"Unfortunately on the back of a compression incident against Fremantle (in round two) the condition has raised its head again."

"We've been monitoring it closely since then, managing Joe's training workloads in conjunction with him and getting him to the point where he's been able to play games.

"But in that sense it has been affecting his ability to complete all of his training."

Daniher's injury escalated after the Bombers' loss to Hawthorn on Saturday, prompting further scans.

"In the second half against Hawthorn, Joe felt heavy in his groins and that prompted us to follow up with a scan to see how his condition was progressing," Crow said.

"It showed some signal in his pubis indicating early onset of osteitis pubis."

Essendon has five matches remaining before its mid-season bye against Carlton, Geelong, Greater Western Sydney, Richmond and Brisbane, which make a return in round 14 a likely scenario.

"With Joe's long-term health and career being our biggest priority, in conjunction with Joe, we've made the decision to take him out of the program and give him a full rehabilitation to make sure that gets better," Crow said.

"That will be a minimum of four weeks (on the sidelines), but we'll be taking as long as required to make sure that Joe is fully recovered and available to play at his best."

In better news for the struggling Bombers, Orazio Fantasia could return from a groin injury for Saturday's clash with Carlton at the MCG. 

The 22-year-old hasn't played since the round four win over Port Adelaide and could be recalled along with key defender Mitch Brown, who should be right after a calf injury.