SANFL: South Adelaide will make a call on whether Emmanuel Irra will have surgery on torn foot ligaments

SOUTH Adelaide’s Emmanuel Irra will have tests Monday to determine whether surgery is necessary to repair the ligaments in his foot.

South's Irra Emmanueli in action earlier this season before injuring his foot. Photo: Dylan Coker.

SOUTH Adelaide’s Emmanuel Irra will have tests Monday to determine whether surgery is necessary to repair the ligaments in his foot.

In-form Irra tore the ligaments early in the last quarter of the win over Norwood in Noarlunga on May 7. He had the ankle strapped and returned to the action to finish the game.

Irra was wearing a moonboot at Unley Oval on Saturday when the previously unbeaten Panthers lost to Sturt by 48 points.

The Panthers are resigned to being without the pacy wingman for up to eight weeks but a decision on surgery or rest as the cure will be made after Monday’s scans.

“He has already had scans but they were not definitive,’’ Panthers football manager Neill Sharpe said. “We are not sure how much damage there is.’’

The immediate playing future of Nathan Daniel will hinge on scans after leaving the game against the Double Blues in the final quarter due to a knee issue.

The Panthers face Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Saturday and could also be without Tyson Brown, who hyper extended his elbow in the first quarter and aggravated the injury in the final term, and Cameron De Visser, concussed late in the contest.

Long-kicking Tom Fields is likely to return, however, after missing the weekend’s action because of concussion and Adam Gulden is a strong chance to prove he had recovered from a minor knee worry.

The Double Blues, playing with passion and well drilled by coach Marty Mattner, claimed a fifth successive win to climb to within percentage of second-placed Adelaide on the ladder and a game behind the Panthers.

Now the challenge for the Double Blues is to prove themselves against a quality opponent on the bigger ground with four wins being at home or The Parade. The other victory was against West Adelaide at Richmond Oval. They face North Adelaide, also reinvigorated under new coach Josh Carr, at Prospect Oval on Sunday.

The Roosters won their first game last year but was winless for the rest of the season. They have now won three games this season to rise to sixth on the ladder.

Port Adelaide has sunk to eighth on the table with just two wins, percentage above Norwood.

The Redlegs have been hard hit by injury this season and could be without tough onballer Jaryd Cachia for 12 weeks because of an ankle injury. Fellow midfielder Matthew Panos will miss six weeks due to a broken wrist.