Andy McGrath had blood pouring from his mouth when doctors made the call to put him in an ambulance.
Essendon captain Andy McGrath and forward Archer May, and Richmond veteran Tom Lynch, have all been sent to hospital as the injury curse shadows both clubs.
After a disastrous 2025 season in the medical room, the Bombers are once again in damage control with another several injuries from their Dreamtime at the ‘G clash with Richmond on Friday night, three of which came before half-time.
McGrath was had blood pouring from his mouth in the rooms after suffering a suspected broken jaw during the second quarter.
The skipper copped a stray but accidental elbow from Richmond forward Jonty Faull during a contest on the wing and came straight off the ground clutching at his jaw.
Essendon doctors monitored the defender during the second quarter and half-time before eventually making the call to send him to hospital.
As Richmond sung the song after the game, Lynch was also sent to hospital in an ambulance after copping a knock to his throat.
Lynch is breathing comfortably but has totally lost his voice after an incident believed to be early in the game, and Tigers medical staff are being cautious with the 33-year-old.
The key forward was due to do a half-time interview with Channel 7’s Abbey Holmes but had to pull out because he wasn’t able to speak.
“He literally couldn’t speak,” Holmes said.
“I was meant to have him as our half-time walk-off interview. I went up to him and he didn’t even say ‘I can’t speak’, he just (pointed to his throat), and then Jayden Short was like, ‘I’ve got it’.”
He somehow played out the second half but went straight to the hospital with family and Richmond staff as soon as he got back into the rooms after the game.
Incredibly, a third player from the game was then sent to hospital when May reported a rib injury after the match.
Meantime, Matt Guelfi knew within about a minute of coming off the ground in the first quarter that he had reinjured his troublesome hamstring.
Medical staff didn’t even need to test the Bombers forward to work out he had suffered the damage, in what was his first game back from injury since Round 4, and only second for the year.
Guelfi let out an audible scream on the bench, not in pain, but frustration, with the out-of-contract 28-year-old having suffered hamstring setbacks in 2023 and 2025.
Not long after Guelfi was ruled out, Essendon midfielder Sam Durham copped a knee to the head from Tigers forward Tom Lynch.
Durham initially tried to brush off doctors before eventually coming to the bench where he failed a head injury assessment.
He will now enter the AFL’s concussion protocols and miss at least the next 12 days.
The Bombers could also lose Jye Caldwell to a syndesmosis injury.
Richmond, in the midst of an injury crisis of their own, also lost a player to concussion, with Jonty Faull going down in a brutal contest with Mason Redman.
Redman was in the motion of collecting the ball and will have no case to answer, but nonetheless collided with Faull, who was soon ruled out with concussion.
“For two teams that have copped some of the most brutal injury lists in the history of the game over the last two years, it simply is not stopping,” Xander McGuire said at half-time.
Faull will be the 17th player on Richmond’s shambolic injury list, which has derailed their season.
The Tigers’ injury toll wasn’t finished there either, with Tom Burton spending a considerable part of the last quarter down the race with an unknown issue.
Nick Vlastuin also copped a massive knock, while Luke Trainor had a shoulder issue but played on with it heavily taped.
“I can’t remember a game like this in a long time,” Xander McGuire said after the game.