Essendon's injury curse has continued in the post-Brad Scott era, with Archie May dislocating his shoulder in the Bombers' 30-point loss to West Coast at a windy Optus Stadium.
On a day when Perth was hit by a once-in-a-five-year storm before conditions calmed during the game, West Coast kicked eight unanswered goals either side of halftime to soar to a 12.13 (85) to 8.7 (55) win in front of 37,623 fans.
The match was Essendon's first since sacking Scott during the week, and they fronted up against the Eagles nursing a 16-player injury list.
That became 17 in the first quarter when May dislocated his right shoulder after being cleaned up by teammate Nate Caddy in a marking contest.
"There was a dislocation, I don't know much more than that at the moment," Essendon interim coach Dean Solomon said.
