Ollie Lord to have arthroscopic surgery after training injury scare

A rising star up forward at the Power is set to go under the knife, forcing Ken Hinkley to find another tall option up forward, but who is the leading candidate to get the job?

Young key forward Ollie Lord will have arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday as Port Adelaide debate its forward-line structure in round 1.

Lord was ruled out for the start of the season after landing heavily in a marking contest at training and suffering a fracture to his tibia and high-grade bone bruising to his knee.

Surgery on Wednesday showed the forward had no major damage to his knee, with a timeline of 8-10 weeks given by the Power.

While Power assistant Josh Carr said Lord’s injury was “not as bad as I guess what we first thought when we first saw it”, depending on the results of surgery the young key forward could spend a fair chunk of the season on the sidelines.

Ollie Lord is set for surgery. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

It gives Ken Hinkley and his coaching staff something to think about ahead of Round 1 against West Coast, and possibly beyond.

While he has had a good pre-season, Hinkley said on Grandstand SA on Saturday that Mitch Georgiades would not take on the Eagles at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

But he said the young gun wouldn’t be too far away as he nears his return from an ACL injury suffered last year.

“We are really happy with Mitch’s process after a slow start in his reco,” Hinkley said.

“We are not far away from playing Mitch … he won’t play in Round 1 but any week after that if he comes out and demonstrates that he is ready we aren’t going to be fighting to pick Mitch.”

It means Jeremy Finlayson enters the season as the likely option to join Todd Marshall and Charlie Dixon as the Power’s tall forwards against the Eagles.

However, Finlayson was not in the Power’s side to take on Fremantle in its last pre-season hitout, with Lord named in the 23.

After the game Hinkley said the Power were now seriously considering going with two rucks, having recruited Ivan Soldo and Jordon Sweet in the off-season.

Carr said the question surrounding the ruck set up was the “final piece of the puzzle” for the Power this week, with star midfielder Zak Butters to play.

Looking past Round 1, an extended time on the sidelines for Lord could impact any plans to manage Dixon after he played just the 26 games in the last two years – and was often battling injuries in these appearances.

Lord was a breakout star for the Power in 2023. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Hinkley said the Power had been mindful of Dixon this pre-season and it wouldn’t manage him just for the sake of it.

“This competition is so close that you have to play your best players,” he said.

“You would never take a chance on any team or any game you play so you do put your best players out there but you have to be mindful if they are injured they are best to get better and they have a much better chance for you later on in the season.

“The reality for us, and we don’t typically choose the just rest scenario based on anyone that we play. We rate the competition too highly.

“He (Dixon) has been one that we have managed through the pre-season really well.

“We have him at this stage of the year and one of Charlie’s challenges over the journey has been being ready for the start of the season cause he always seems to get ready during pre-season.

“We have been very mindful, he might not be at his absolute premium condition wise but he will be at his competitive best and we will go from there.”