Essendon star Sam Draper details emotional toll of season-ending Achilles injury

Australia Broadcast Center

09-05-2025

Essendon ruck Sam Draper has detailed the emotional toll of his season-ending Achilles rupture, which he said felt very unfair given his career-best form this year.
'I've had some dark moments the last couple of weeks, but I'm OK,' Draper said on his podcast 200 Plus.
'I was devastated when it happened. I don't reckon I've cried that much in my life for the first few days."
Draper went down in Essendon's two-point over West Coast in round six, collapsing on the wing before being helped from the field.
Scans then confirmed the club's fears of a tendon rupture, resulting in a long stint on the sidelines given the brutal nature of the injury.
The 26-year-old is now two weeks post surgery, which he said 'all went well'.
'Once the dust settled and I had the surgery, I feel a lot better now. But it's a weird one, I can't get stuck into my rehab yet, I have to let it heal, which is a weird feeling," he said.
"I'll be fine once I get back into routine again.
'It's been adjusting from being so active to just being on the couch and not being able to put any weight through my foot.'
That hardest part to grapple with, Draper said, was that it "just didn't feel fair" given his form and hopes for this year.
"(I) worked so hard all off season to get my body right, had a good pre-season, come into the best form of my career and have such high expectations for the year," he said.
'It's my contract year too … It was just a gutting feeling, and seeing the team needing me out there, it is such a hard one to take.
'That's the thing I have been thinking about, 'what could I have done differently? Was I sore?'. But it was completely out of my control that one.'
Draper is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year, with interest from other clubs, notably Adelaide. Given his contract status, there's a possibility Draper has played his final game for Essendon.
Following his injury, the Bombers fan-favourite posted to social media that he was blown away by the support but emphasised that it felt unfair.
"I truly love playing footy and it's going to hurt so much not being able to do what I love but that brings me so much motivation to be back stronger and better than ever," he posted to Instagram."I'll be back snapping some goals again soon."
Essendon general manager of football Daniel McPherson said it was an especially devastating blow for Draper and the club given his start to the season.
'He's worked so hard over the course of the pre-season and had started the season really strongly," McPherson said when the extent of the injury was announced by the club.'Sam's obviously an important player for us but he's also such a beloved member of this group by players, staff and fans alike. We'll support him through his rehab."