Jake Carlisle Biography

Jake Carlisle announces his retirement after a 12-year career across two clubs.

The 29-year-old only managed four matches in 2021, including his 150th game, before lower back surgery in May ended his season.

Jake Carlisle will be unavailable for the Saints' semi-final with Richmond, opting instead to leave the club's hub in Noosa and return home for the birth of his child.

"He has been away from his young family for a number of months now and we thank him for making that sacrifice. We support him in this decision and wish Jake, Mel, Nash and Layker all the best for the coming weeks," St Kilda's chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.

Jake Carlisle says he never contemplated leaving St Kilda despite his name being raised ahead of the 2019 Trade Period as an option for rival clubs.

"I was never going anywhere, I just wanted to get through the year because it'd been tough and reset this off-season and go again - which I have," he said.

"I don't worry about the outside noise anymore. I was fine where I was, I was happy to be here, obviously triggered my contract last year, so things are looking good."

Jake Carlisle is carefully balancing the final stages of a meticulously planned rehabilitation from a back injury with the need to play a certain amount of 2019 matches in order to be guaranteed being on the St Kilda list next year.

It is believed Carlisle needs to play at least seven of the remaining 12 matches to reach the contract clause which automatically triggers a 2020 deal with the Saints.

St Kilda has zeroed in on former Collingwood defender Jonathon Marsh in a last-ditch bid to add much-needed defensive stocks for 2019.

Media have reported that the Saints will put Marsh through a medical screening as they prepare for much of the season without star defender Jake Carlisle.

Jake Carlisle is set to have back surgery later this week which could ruin his entire season.

A disc protrusion in his lower back was causing pressure on a nerve, with the operation set to relieve that.

St Kilda is considering sending important key defender Jake Carlisle in for back surgery.

Carlisle has been hampered by a disc issue in his back since before Christmas and has struggled to run at times.

"He's going to need to see a specialist. Things aren't improving," Sants football manager Simon Lethlean said.

"He hasn't been able to train properly for most of January and it's not getting better, so we need to assess whether surgery's going to be an option and if it is, that's going to mean a significant chunk of his season is interrupted."

A recurring back injury means Jake Carlisle is no better than a 50-50 chance of being fit for the Saints' 2019 season opener against Gold Coast in less than a month.

"It's just been a little bit slow. We've had a couple of false starts where he's got going again and it looks like he's on the right track, and then he's just flared up again," Saints coach Alan Richardson said.

St Kilda defender Jake Carlisle has been on limited duties for several weeks and faces a wait before he returns to the main group after hurting his back.

"Jake Carlisle is progressing positively following a back complaint," a Saints spokesperson said.

"Carlisle, who has dealt with similar injuries before, is running well and will reintegrate with the main group over the coming weeks."

Alan Richardson backs St Kilda's medical department, despite losing star defender Jake Carlisle to a punctured lung sustained while receiving an injection from club doctors.

Carlisle had been battling soreness in his ribs after a big collision with Melbourne forward Jesse Hogan over the weekend, receiving an injection to "deaden the pain" in the area.

However, the procedure left him with a slight puncture to his lung, making him unavailable for St Kilda's clash with Port Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.

"It's quite a common procedure. It happens a bit. I've been in a lot of footy clubs and that is the way that injury is dealt with and treated," Richardson said.

"We've got an outstanding group of medicos that do a really good job. There's always a slight risk and obviously that is what has happened."

The AFL Tribunal dismisses a challenge by Jake Carlisle, upholding a two-match ban on the key defender for striking Jack Riewoldt.

St Kilda's players have acknowledged their highly personal sledging of Marc Murphy crossed the line, with Jarryn Geary attempting to contact the Carlton captain in the fallout from an ugly clash at Etihad Stadium.

Meanwhile, Murphy responded to the social media commentary on Monday night, saying comments were hurtful to his wife and showed a lack of respect to women.

It comes as St Kilda coach Alan Richardson revealed he had a phone conversation with Murphy earlier in the day.

"It's a private conversation, it's between 'Murph' and I," Richardson told Fox Footy.

"I think he was appreciative. What you do have to remember (is) that Murph and I have got a bit of history; I worked with Murph for a couple of years."

Carlton and St Kilda officials have spoken following the ugly incident, which saw an incensed Murphy lash out at Carlisle as he lay injured on the ground just before three-quarter time.

That sparked a large melee instigated by Geary, who left a message with Murphy on Monday.

Returning St Kilda defender Jake Carlisle predicts he won't hit the season in top form as he prepares to play his first game in 18 months.

"I've got a lot to prove. Not only (to) the club, but the players and the sponsors and the supporters as well," he said.

"Compared to last pre-season, it was a bit tougher, coming in from a different environment and what had happened. I'm very happy now and I've adapted really well."

The Saints are excited about the prospect of Jake Carlisle finally debuting in their colours.

"We've seen a bit (of him) throughout the JLT Series. It's just really exciting to have him down there and I think he'll just keep getting better as well," Saints wingman Jack Newnes said.

"He's already played some great footy but I think as the year progresses, because he hasn't been playing the last year, he'll just keep getting better."

Saints football manager Jamie Cox says Jake Carlisle is back in full training after an off-season restricted by recovery from hip surgery.

"He's now in full training and really showing us what we've missed in the past, which is another big body to help look after some of those big monsters up forward," Cox said.

Jake Carlisle says he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders as he prepares to return to full training next month and put a season-long suspension behind him.

"I'm on track to get back mid-December. I'm a lot stronger and everything has got better, so I can't wait to get back out there with the boys," Carlisle said.

"I've managed to fix up some weaknesses in my game and I've done a lot of leg and glute stuff with the fitness guys to get that nice and strong for the pre-season."

A last-minute change to the round one fixture looks set to cost Jake Carlisle the chance to attend his sister's wedding.

Carlisle had been looking forward to a blissful opening weekend of the 2017 season, originally planning to attend the Melbourne wedding of his older sister on Saturday, March 25, before making his long-awaited debut for the Saints against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium the next day.

Carlisle and his family had been nervous about a potential double-booking in round one but were relieved when a leak five days before the AFL's official fixture launch revealed that the big man would be able to have his sister's wedding cake and eat it.

Relief turned to disappointment on Thursday morning when the AFL launched the full fixture, which showed the Saints v Demons clash had been moved to the 4.35pm timeslot on the Saturday.

The change was made because the AFL, in consultation with broadcasters, felt it was a better fit and that it enhanced the overall look of the opening round.

Carlisle is the only son among five children and has the names of his four sisters tattooed on his ribs, but it's highly unlikely the key defender will attend the ceremony.

Jake Carlisle is excited for pre-season training to start and hopes his extra fitness sessions will help earn the respect of his St Kilda teammates.

"I feel like that's the way it's got to be and that's the only thing I can do is let my actions do the talking, so when I do return I'm in the best shape possible (and) mentally I'm really fresh and ready to go," he said.

"I'm hanging (for pre-season to start), it's obviously been a long year so I've told the club I want to come back early with the young boys.

"It will be good to build a few more relationships before the older fellas get there."

Jake Carlisle won't have to serve an additional two-game ban, which was handed to him days after he joined St Kilda.

The ban for 'conduct prejudicial to the code' came after he accepted a strike under the AFL's illicit drugs code.

Hours after being traded to St Kilda, Carlisle became embroiled in a fresh scandal after a social media video emerged which showed him snorting a white substance.

The suspension for two premiership season matches came at the insistence of the AFL.

However, as he returned to St Kilda's Seaford training base for the first time on Wednesday, the club announced his ban had been 'served concurrently'.

"Carlisle’s St Kilda-imposed two-game sanction has been served concurrently as part of his anti-doping suspension, allowing him to be eligible for selection for 2017 pre-season games," the club said.

It means Carlisle will be able to make his St Kilda debut in round one next season.

"I'm in the best shape possible, I haven't started running yet after hip (surgery)," Carlisle told reporters on Wednesday.

"I should start running in the next month or so, so looking forward to it, can't wait to get back.

"I'm a happy man, just got to move forward from here."

Jake Carlisle will spend 12 weeks in rehabilitation following hip surgery.

"He will (be ready for pre-season). The surgery itself is minor (but) the recovery itself is pretty slow, because we're talking about the hip, and he's a big guy," Saints coach Alan Richardson said.

"If we did it any later, that has the potential to have some sort of negative influence on his pre-season (for 2017)."

Banned St Kilda defender Jake Carlisle returns to work, albeit in the construction industry.

Carlisle tweeted a pic of himself with his new colleagues on a construction site.

Dressed in hi-vis clothing, work boots and a hard hat, Carlisle looked happy enough with his new lot in life as he serves out a backdated two-year doping ban that ends in November.

"Loving the new job working with these legends ... #stillmissingfooty," he tweeted.

Alan Richardson has taken a philosophical approach to new recruit Jake Carlisle's recent doping ban that will keep the key defender out for the entire 2016 season.

"Given the journey we are on, we've now got this bloke for one year longer on the back-end … it could actually turn out to be a bit of a positive," Richardson said.

"If we were top four last year and this bloke was going to make the difference, then I reckon that's a bit tougher.

"But we need him to be really strong and influential when we are really strong and influential."

St Kilda say they are not expecting to pay former Jake Carlisle's full salary in 2016 after the former Bomber was suspended for the year due to his involvement, as a player, in Essendon's supplements scandal.

"We're still working through the details, but clearly we won't be liable for Jake's full salary in 2016," Saints CEO Matt Finnis said.

"We are still dealing with the AFL, but Jake will definitely have a program that will have him ready for pre-season '17."

Essendon's worst fears have been realised with the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding 34 past and present players guilty of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4 and suspending them for the entire 2016 season.

Twelve players still on the Bombers' list and five now at other AFL clubs who took part in Essendon's 2012 supplements program have been hit with two-year bans beginning on March 31 last year.

However, most of the suspensions will come to an end on November 13 this year, taking into account provisional suspensions already served.

Bombers skipper Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell, reigning club champion Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Travis Colyer, Michael Hibberd, Ben Howlett, David Myers, Brent Stanton and Tayte Pears will all miss the Bombers' 2016 campaign.

The guilty decision impacts four other AFL clubs with former Essendon players on their lists, with Jake Carlisle (St Kilda), Stewart Crameri (Western Bulldogs), Jake Melksham (Melbourne), Angus Monfries and Patrick Ryder (Port Adelaide) to be sidelined for the season.

Former Essendon players Mark McVeigh and Brent Prismall are set to be suspended from their respective roles at Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs until November 13 as support staff are banned from any WADA-complaint sports under the sanctions.

McVeigh is an assistant coach at the Giants, while Prismall is a player wellbeing and welfare manager with the Bulldogs.

Essendon champion and former club coach James Hird slammed the guilty verdict and suspensions.

"I am shocked by this decision," Hird said in a statement.

"I firmly believe the players do not deserve this finding.

"They do not deserve to face a twelve-month suspension from the sport. This is a miscarriage of justice for 34 young men."

Saints list manager Ameet Bains says securing highly touted Vic Metro midfielder Jade Gresham at the 2015 NAB AFL Draft vindicates the hardline stance St Kilda took during the Jake Carlisle trade negotiations.

"Certainly keeping a first-round pick on a night like tonight and being able to bring a player like Jade Gresham through the door makes us feel that we were right," Bains said.

Leigh Montagna says new Saints recruit Jake Carlisle will have to improve in several areas to become a key member of St Kilda.

"We can embrace Jake as one of our own now and we are going to do some work. We want him to be a great St Kilda person for a long time," Montagna said.

"Everyone knows he has got a lot of work to do but we are going to give him every chance because it can be of benefit not only to him but to the Saints if we can get the best out of him. That would be a great result for Jake and a great result for us."

Jake Carlisle has continued his rocky start at St Kilda, this time arriving late for training.

The Saints have confirmed the key position player broke team rules by turning up late to a Tuesday session.

That meant an early morning training session the next morning for Carlisle and his teammates.

Jake Carlisle has been suspended for St Kilda's first two home and away matches, after accepting a strike under the AFL's illicit drugs policy.

The ban, for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the code, has been imposed by the AFL and not the club.

Carlisle has also forfeited $50,000 in marketing money.

The club said Carlisle would undertake a rehabilitation program focused on understanding 'implications of glamorising drug use.'

In an interview conducted by St Kilda after the meeting Carlisle said: "what's happened, happened and hopefully we can just move on."

"I'm prepared to own up to what's happened, I just want to move forward. I just want to be better for it as well, that's what I've tried to be is just be honest."

Essendon say they were unaware of the Jake Carlisle video before he was traded to St Kilda.

"We didn't know. I spoke to Anthony McConville (Carlisle's manager) yesterday to try to piece together when he actually knew," Essendon general football manager Rob Kerr said.

"The thing with Jake's trade was actually supposed to go through the day before, and then Craig Bird was umming and ahhing. It was a big move for him to go from Sydney to Melbourne.

"Craig held that up a bit. We got the word later that night that he was happy to go, so we scheduled for everyone to meet at 9.30am (the next day). The trade was executed around 9.30 and the first we heard about [the video] was probably 2pm or 3pm [on Wednesday]."

The AFLPA believes Jake Carlisle's manager didn't do anything wrong in withholding information from St Kilda about the controversial video featuring the high-priced key forward.

But the players' union will support an investigation into how much Anthony McConville knew before last Wednesday's trade with Essendon went through – if the Saints request it.

"Our information is that Anthony knew of the allegation; he didn't know that was absolutely what had happened here," AFLPA CEO Paul Marsh told radio station SEN.

"He spoke to our guys about it on the morning of the trade and at that stage the information [he had] certainly wasn't definitive.

"From that perspective, we don't think Anthony has done the wrong thing but we'll respect St Kilda's right to seek an investigation if that's the way they want to go."

Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says his club was interested in Jake Carlisle, but that Carlisle would only agree to an interview with the club if there was already an offer on the table.

"What we wanted to do was to interview Jake because we had some intelligence around some issues that I won't say go to character, but went to what sort of addition he would make to our football club," Gordon said.

"Now, we were not the only football club that had some concerns. We were interested, but we wanted to talk him. He didn't want to talk to us.

"St Kilda did have sufficient confidence to say we'll deal direct and it is almost Shakespearean what has happened since."

St Kilda recruit Jake Carlisle is expected to have commercial aspects of his lucrative contract modified after a meeting with club chiefs shortly after he returned from the United States.

Carlisle and his manager Anthony McConville met with CEO Matt Finnis and chief operating officer Ameet Bains where it is believed the additional services agreement (ASA) in his contract was discussed.

Carlisle's contract is for four years with a trigger for a fifth and understood to be worth up to $600,000 a season.

The Saints are in the early stages of mapping a strategy to punish the key defender without crushing him and preventing him from playing the football he was recruited to produce.

Carlisle was expected to be hair-tested upon his return from the US but it is understood that alone will not be enough for him to register a strike under the illicit drugs policy.

He will be target tested by the League though if his hair test returns a positive result, following an admission of "inappropriate behaviour" and a video that depicted him snorting a white powder.

Channel Nine airs the video just hours after Carlisle is traded from Essendon to the Saints in a deal that saw St Kilda give up its prized pick No.5.

The grainy vision depicts Carlisle snorting a white substance.

While not admitting to drug use, Carlisle confirmed he had made an "error of judgement" and would commit to any club or AFL-imposed sanctions or education requirements upon his return from his overseas holiday.

"I have made a very poor decision and let people down and for that I am embarrassed and truly sorry," Carlisle said in a statement.

"First, I would like to apologise to all St Kilda members, supporters and staff, AFL fans as well as my new teammates.

"I am aware of footage being aired of me last night and I want to be upfront and say that I made a mistake.

"The video casts me in a very poor light and reveals clearly inappropriate behaviour which I regret but am accountable for.

"I know that in a few weeks’ time when I join St Kilda I’m going to be expected to be open and honest with my new club so want to start by confirming my error of judgment right now."

St Kilda's senior players are incensed at the conduct of new teammate Jake Carlisle and he will be made to front the leadership group on his return to explain a controversial video that was aired.

Carlisle will return early from an overseas holiday after speaking with Saints coach Alan Richardson to confront a frustrated and unhappy team.

"I don't know that there'd be anything more confronting than knowing he's got to front Nick Riewoldt and our leadership group, who have spoken about this," St Kilda CEO Matt Finnis said.

"They're absolutely filthy. They've done a lot of work to really be clear on what it is they want our club to stand for.

"Our players are very unhappy, they're very frustrated. Jake's got a lot of work to do – and I know he's very nervous about it – to confront those players as part of him winning their trust and confidence."

Jake Carlisle finally makes his way to St Kilda after a breakthrough in negotiations with Essendon.

The Bombers secured St Kilda's prized No.5 draft pick, as well as Sydney Swans midfielder Craig Bird, after a three-club trade.

In the deal:
- Essendon receives Bird and pick No.5, gives up Carlisle and pick No.44, and exchanges pick No.23 for pick No.24;
- St Kilda receives Carlisle and pick No.14 and gives up pick No.5 and pick No.24;
- Sydney Swans receive picks No.23 and pick No.44, and gives up pick No.14 and Bird.

Bombers list manager Adrian Dodoro said that the club had not wavered in its approach to secure the Saints' draft pick No.5 as part of the deal.

"There was no way we were going to budge at all," Dodoro said.

"If we weren't going to get (pick) 5, then we wouldn't have done the trade, it's as simple as that."

Hawthorn is making an audacious late bid to poach Jake Carlisle from St Kilda's clutches in a proposed trade that would also send Jed Anderson to North Melbourne.

Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro says St Kilda may still be Jake Carlisle's first-choice destination but he'd settle for the Hawks ahead of the uncertainty of the pre-season draft.

The Saints looked set to trade for Carlisle after he committed to the club, but they refused to give up their No.5 pick.

The resulting impasse between St Kilda and Essendon allowed Hawthorn to enter the running for the key-position player.

However, the 24-year-old confirmed to the Saints from overseas that he was still determined to move to Seaford, "from 2016 and beyond".

"I think Jake probably had his heart set on going to St Kilda. That may be where he still wishes to go but Hawthorn is a good option," Dodoro said.

"I'm sure he'd prefer to go to Hawthorn than to go into the pre-season draft."

Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro says the club would expect at least St Kilda's first-round pick in the national draft as compensation for losing Jake Carlisle.

But St Kilda counterpart Ameet Bains said his club would reject those demands, declaring the club's pick No.5 would not be put on the trade table in exchange for Carlisle.

"Getting a good player out of another club always presents its challenges. Essendon said it wants our pick No.5 – our expectations may be a bit different," Bains said.

Jake Carlisle nominates St Kilda as his preferred destination.

"It's a perfect fit," Carlisle said.

Carlisle's manager Anthony McConville said Carlisle had agreed to a "lengthy deal" with the Saints, but one that was less than five years in duration.

St Kilda now needs to broker a trade with Essendon.

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson has confirmed the Saints are keen to secure Essendon defender Jake Carlisle in the upcoming trade period.

Carlisle has attracted interest from St Kilda, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs after declaring he wanted to be traded from Essendon but he is yet to declare his preferred club.

The Saints indicated on the weekend they had met with Carlisle once already and hoped to do so again when he returned from his overseas trip.

"We rate him highly as a player and depending on what it takes we certainly want to continue that conversation," Richardson said.

"We still haven't received the ultimate tick from Jake. The reality is that he needs to choose a club. It's been spoken about that we are in that mix and we believe that to be the case."

Essendon and Carlton have already met to discuss a potential trade for Jake Carlisle, while St Kilda will have a chance to put its case forward for the key utility in discussions this week.

Carlisle informed the Bombers last week of his request to be traded and list manager Adrian Dodoro provided an update on the 23-year-old's status on Saturday.

"I've met with Carlton. I haven't met with St Kilda yet, I'm meeting with them this week," Dodoro told ABC Radio.

"It's early days at the moment. Jake hasn't indicated where he wants to go. He's gone overseas to have a bit of a think about it.

"Over the next week those discussions will take shape."

Essendon interim coach Matthew Egan admits that the club is losing confidence in retaining the services of Jake Carlisle for 2016.

"I really hope he does [stay], because he's really important with his age demographic and how he fits in the group, and those sorts of guys don't grow on trees," Egan said.

"He's a big, big man and he can play forward and back, so if we do lose him it will be a big loss, but he hasn't signed yet so that's a hard one."

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott confirms North Melbourne's interest in out-of-contract Essendon key defender Jake Carlisle.

"[Carlisle is] one of the players that we'd like to add," Scott said.

"Like every club, we're looking at all sorts of different options to improve our list and if the time comes that Jake decides that he wants to look at a fresh start then that's the time we'll start drilling down on that, but as far as I'm aware that hasn't happened yet."

Jake Carlisle will be sidelined for more than a month after injuring his right ankle in the dying stages of Essendon's match against Hawthorn.

"His foot got trapped and he rolled it (ankle)," Bombers club doctor Bruce Reid said.

"His actual ligaments that you'd normally strain are fine but unfortunately he's separated the front ligaments between the tibia and the fibula – which is called the syndesmosis – so he's got a tear of the front of that.

"We expect him to miss four to six weeks."

Essendon coach James Hird says Jake Carlisle is determined to become a dominant forward for the Bombers.

"Jake is committed to being a star forward in the AFL and that's what he wants to do," Hird said.

"Out of his mouth was that, 'I want to be the best forward in the competition and I want to do it at Essendon'."

Jake Carlisle says he is continually working on his goalkicking with Bombers goalkicking great and now part-time coach Matthew Lloyd.

"Part of him coaching me is just worrying about what we can do right. He focuses on just having a routine," Carlisle said.

"It can kill your confidence at times, but I know what I do wrong, I just have to worry about fixing it and mentally staying on top of it. I can't let one miss get to me. The main focus is staying positive."

Jake Carlisle speaks about a frightening experience during a recent training accident.

Carlisle was at Essendon training last month competing in a drill where four forwards take on six defenders. It was two days before the Bombers took on North Melbourne in an important game, and the key forward felt a whack on his neck during the marking contest.

Half a second later he was laying on the ground, with a sharp and intense pain going through the left side of his neck down to his chest. It forced his head to tilt at a right-angle, training was stopped and moved inside, and teammates were visibly concerned about Carlisle's health.

"It was pretty scary," Carlisle told AFL.com.au. "Instantly I just dropped. I was flat on my back, and I had the worst pains coming from my neck down to my stomach. I couldn't feel my arms.

"From my neck down to my waist I was numb. The only thing I could feel was my legs, which was pretty weird because if it's a neck injury, you'd think you wouldn't be able to feel much at all."

Doctors and medicos raced onto the club's Tullamarine training field to attend to Carlisle, and were there for nearly 30 minutes making sure they followed procedure for neck injuries.

He immediately thought about whether there would be permanent damage to his neck, and feared the numb feeling might remain for good.

"I shut my eyes for a minute and the doc came over and said 'What is it?' and I said 'I can't feel my arms'," Carlisle said.

"I didn't know what to think or feel. I wanted to get my feeling back, that's the only thing I was thinking about."

That slowly returned, but the pain remained for an hour-and-a-half, including at the hospital where scans showed he had only pinched a nerve in his neck.

"I heard the next day that the boys went inside because they were pretty worried for me, and I got texts from pretty much everyone saying they hoped I was OK which was pleasing and positive," he said.

"I am pretty lucky, but I suppose that's the job we do. It's the risk we take and hopefully it doesn't happen again."

Jake Carlisle's manager, Anthony McConville, says that many club's are interested in his client's services.

"There's a lot of interest in Jake, no doubt, but at the moment (he) just wants to play good football," McConville said.

"We'll revisit it (at) the halfway point of the year and the dialogue's always open with Essendon, they know where we're positioned and that's where it's at."

Jake Carlisle is omitted from the side to face North Melbourne after suffering a neck injury scare at training where he was unable to move for half an hour.

"He (Carlisle) went for a mark in almost the last five minutes of training on Wednesday morning and copped a little knock to his head which pinched a nerve in his neck," Essendon coach James Hird said.

"He was on the ground for probably half an hour not moving, and he had no feeling in his arm.

"The doctors were very precautious, put the neck brace on, brought the stretcher out and went to hospital. The MRI scan came back to say there was no damage to his spine, which was very fortunate."

Jake Carlisle is sent to hospital after suffering a neck injury at training.

"Carlisle pinched a nerve in his neck and despite suffering some discomfort he has recovered well [on Thursday]," Essendon said in a statement.

"The club's medical team exercised all necessary precautions to treat and determine the extent of the injury, which included sending Carlisle for scans at the Epworth Hospital."

Jake Carlisle faces a significant challenge to get himself fit for the start of the season as he continues to battle a knee injury.

Carlisle has dealt with a persistent case of patella tendinitis this pre-season, limiting his time out on the track.

"Carlisle had his first time back on the deck (on Friday)," Bombers high performance football manager Neil Craig said.

"We won't rush Jake because he's missed a lot of training.

"He's done a lot of off-field training. He now needs to get some good continuity, so we'll just judge him week by week."

Essendon is set to keep star swingman Jake Carlisle wrapped in cotton wool for at least another two weeks before clearing him to return to full training ahead of the NAB Challenge.

"Jake has been very angry because he thinks he should be in the full group now but we have taken a conservative approach," Essendon club doctor Bruce Reid said.

"He had some patella tendonitis, it's pretty important to nip that in the bud early."

Jake Carlisle has been ruled out of Essendon's elimination final against North Melbourne after scans showed the forward's hamstring injury had not improved quickly enough to play.

"[The scan showed] there's something there still, he's not aware of it, but there's some damage there. Once there was damage there we knew today if there was he'd miss out," Essendon coach Mark Thompson said.

Essendon coach Mark Thompson is puzzled by Jake Carlisle's alleged hamstring injury.

"I don't know. I've never heard of a one-week hamstring injury," Thompson told reporters.

"He probably more than likely won't play (next week).

"They're saying it's not very big. It's only a few fibres and it should be right.

"But if that was the case he'd be playing this week.

"You've just got to get off the fence don't you and decide if it's a hamstring or not."

Jake Carlisle could miss the Bombers' opening final after suffering a hamstring setback at training.

"Jake pulled up a little tight during a training drill and scans revealed he'd strained his hamstring," performance manager Neil Craig said.

"Knowing Jake and the professional standards he demands of himself, he'll be doing everything to make sure he's back out contributing to the team as soon as possible."

Jake Carlisle continues his incredible spike in form by kicking a career-high eight goals against the Bulldogs, powering Essendon to a thrilling seven-point win at Etihad Stadium.

"Without him we wouldn't have won, would we? We would have been in a lot of trouble," Bombers coach Mark Thompson said.

"I didn't know he was capable of this. People say [it must be] satisfying. Yeah, it is."

Jake Carlisle kicks a career-high four goals and 19 marks, the most number of marks taken by any player in Essendon history.

"It wouldn't have mattered where he played today, he just had one of those days," Essendon coach Mark Thompson said.

"He's had a little bit of a licence to go behind the ball a bit whenever he feels like we need protection.

"It's been good for him … 19 marks is outstanding."

Essendon coach Mark Thompson denies that there is a rift between himself and Jake Carlisle over where to play him.

"The relationship's fine. It's a beat up by you guys (the media), let's be honest," Thompson said.

"He comes into my office more than anyone, desperate to stay in the side. And I like him. I do. There's no problems.

"What I am not going to do is get influenced by public perception. I'm going to do what I think is right and what the coaching group thinks is right. And we know better than most."

Jake Carlisle says he is set for more time as a forward in 2014 after spending most of his career as a defender.

"I'm a bit versatile so they've tried to push me forward and trying to use my marking and running ability up forward," he said.

"I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be a good challenge. It'll be tough, but in ways I think I can make it work to my favour.

"Starting the year and knowing that I will be playing forward is probably better as a mindset and better for my footy and my development. Whatever I do down back I know I can do in the forward line, and it is the toughest position on the ground."

Jake Carlile is the 2012 round 9 NAB Rising Star nominee. Carlile credits Bombers coach James Hird who was instrumental in transforming him from a forward into a reliable defender.

"When he first came here, I was a year into my career and I was a forward so he told me they wanted to try me in defence," Carlisle said.

"He's been big on me playing more of a part in the team and building me up to be more of a man. When I got here he thought I was a little kid so I've grown up and matured a bit."

Jake Carlisle makes his AFL debut for Essendon at the MCG with 8 disposals (3 kicks and 5 handballs), 4 marks and a goal in a 98-point loss to Collingwood.

Essendon recruit Jake Carlisle played representative cricket in the under-16 Dowling Shield and the under-18 Commonwealth Bank Cup before switching to footy.

"I never really took footy that seriously and, in under-16s, I took a year off footy to play cricket because I really wanted to make the Dowling squad," Carlisle said.

"Then my mates encouraged me to play footy at Craigieburn and the Calder Cannons picked me up.

"If I didn't get drafted then cricket was set and I had belief that I could go well. But now I can't wait to play for Essendon."