Injury-plagued Essendon speedster Jason Winderlich is in doubt for round one of the AFL season after straining a hamstring.
The pacy forward's latest setback came in Tuesday night's pre-season loss to Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium.
Essendon face North Melbourne in round one at Etihad Stadium on March 21.
The Bombers say Winderlich is set to be out of action for three weeks, but will have scans later this week.
"Jason suffered a minor strain to his hamstring during the match and with his injury history we are going to be careful as to how we manage his rehabilitation," club doctor Bruce Reid said on Essendon's website on Wednesday.
"We will send him for scans later in the week and continue to closely monitor his progress."
Winderlich has played 112 senior games.
A knee reconstruction and various soft-tissue injuries have restricted Winderlich to 18 matches in the past three seasons.
Third in Essendon's best and fairest in 2010, Winderlich is highly rated at the club and is determined to bounce back once again.
"The positive news, it's only a minor strain and whether I return in round one, two or three I know I can play a key role for the team," he said.
"I'm confident the training I have done over this pre-season will enable me to make a quick recovery."
News of Winderlich's injury blow follows defender Michael Hibberd's hamstring strain during the first half of Tuesday's game.
Essendon's injury list also includes midfielder Alex Browne (knee) who's out for the season and ruckman Tom Bellchambers (ankle) who is expected to miss at least another month.
