Essendon coach Matthew Knights said Wednesday that defender Andrew Welsh would miss the season opening Easter Monday clash with the Kangaroos with a hamstring injury.

Following a swim session at Port Melbourne, Knights also confirmed that skipper Matthew Lloyd and Adam McPhee would play against the Roos despite interrupted pre-seasons, while also stating that no new players would debut in the game.

Essendon will name an early squad to play the Kangaroos on Thursday afternoon, before naming the final selected team on Saturday.