Jasper Pittard suffers hamstring injury in Port Adelaide’s JLT Series win against Adelaide

A HAMSTRING injury has put Jasper Pittard out of action for Round 1 but Ken Hinkley has declared Tom Rockliff fit after a strong training session.

Cameron Ellis-Yolmen, Robbie Gray, Matt Crouch and Josh Jenkins. Picture: 3 players flattened in 30 secs Sarah Reed

Port Adelaide defender Jasper Pittard has joined the Power’s injury list with a hamstring strain — another in a seemingly long list of hamstring concerns at Alberton.

Pittard was put out of contention for the AFL premiership-season opener against Fremantle at Adelaide Oval on Saturday week in the third term of yesterday’s 26-point win against Adelaide in the summer Showdown.

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This setback unfolded as wingman Jared Polec successfully returned from what coach Ken Hinkley classed as a “significant” hamstring injury and midfielder-forward Chad Wingard also came off the injury list with a hamstring niggle. Captain Travis Boak missed the summer Showdown after noting hamstring tightness before training on Friday.

But this sequence of hamstring notes from the pre-season is not ringing an alarm bell with Hinkley.

“I don’t think we have a hamstring ‘major issue’,” Hinkley said. “We have had a couple of little ones. But I don’t think there is anything massive ...

“I will say, I don’t like them.”

Injured defender Jasper Pittard walks off Alberton Oval. Picture: Sarah Reed

Tom Rockliff put in a solid training run on Saturday morning and is ready for Round 1.

Port Adelaide will start the AFL premiership season with just three first-choice players unavailable — Pittard, All-Australian forward-midfielder Robbie Gray (suspended) and defender Matthew Broadbent, who is confident he has finally resolved his ankle injury with a second round of surgery in Sydney last month.

Gold Coast recruit Trent McKenzie yesterday took full opportunity to impress Hinkley as a candidate to cover for Pittard.

“Trent did himself no harm today,” Hinkley said. “We had nine defenders out there (in a 26-man squad) so it going to be tight (cutting it back with a 22-man line-up against the Dockers). And that is good because we get performance pressure.”

Book is to resume, as is second-year midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper (shoulder) who were kept out of the summer derby as Hinkley enforced the “no-risk” policy at Alberton.

Star Brisbane signing Tom Rockliff will be on the selection whiteboard to play the Dockers despite the midfielder not featuring in either of the Power’s JLT Community Series pre-season games de as he has dealt with a right-knee strain.

Robbie Gray pounces on a loose ball against the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed

Rockliff’s solid training session on Saturday morning has Hinkley confident of playing the former Lions captain without any practice game next weekend.

“We are better off just to train him,” Hinkley said, ruling out Rockliff from any SANFL trials this week. “He had a massive session (Saturday) morning. He could have easily played this game.

“I’m not making that up. If this was Round 1, he’s have been out there. We just don’t need to take the risk. He knows how to play footy. It is like Travis (Boak). We did not play him because he was a little sore ... he too knows how to play footy so we don’t need to put him out there.”

Hinkley again enhanced his reputation of reviving players with tarnished reputations, but says he didn’t need to see Jack Watts kick six to justify Port Adelaide’s decision to outbid Sydney and Geelong in last year’s AFL trade period.

“I don’t think it means much, honestly, to Jack,” Hinkley said. “Because I know what he is like. He just plays for the team — and whatever the outcome of that is, he handles it pretty well.

“That has been a hallmark of Jack Watts the person. He has been able to handle the pressure he has been put under. But he does not change. That six-goal performance ... he’d be happy he’s played well, don’t get me wrong.

“But it won’t change what he does . or what the team does.”

Originally published as Jasper Pittard suffers hamstring injury in Port Adelaide’s JLT Series win against Adelaide