All the injury and selection news ahead of round 21: Miles Bergman ruled out for the season

Miles Bergman has revealed when he knew his season was done, despite being determined to push on with a niggling shoulder complaint, joining the Power’s hefty injury list.

Port Adelaide star Miles Bergman says a niggling shoulder injury he has carried for two months has deteriorated to the point it is best to shut down his season.

Bergman has been managing an issue since the round 9 Showdown and will have an arthroscopy in coming days.

With the Power sitting 11th on the ladder and out of finals contention, the club decided to end the 23-year-old midfielder’s campaign early to get him ready for 2026.

Bergman will miss Port’s remaining games against Geelong, Fremantle, Carlton and Gold Coast.

Miles Bergman is tackled during the Showdown. Picture: Ryan Schembri/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

The midfielder/defender was hopeful of being available for day one of pre-season.

“I felt a crunch in the last Showdown and since then it’s been real niggly,” Bergman told reporters.

“It felt pretty capable early on and then as the weeks go on it was deteriorating until the point it was affecting each week, and getting pretty hard.

“We’ve got a pretty big list of injuries and I would have loved to push on all the way through to give us the best chance of finishing strong.

“But it was getting to the point where we decided it was probably hurting me more than helping me.”

Power football boss Chris Davies said the decision to end Bergman’s season was not taken lightly.

“While we want to finish 2025 on a positive note, we had to take into consideration where our season is at and the level of discomfort Miles is experiencing,” Davies said.

Bergman joins midfielder Jason Horne-Francis, forwards Sam Powell-Pepper (knee), Todd Marshall (achilles) and Tom Cochrane (foot), defender Esava Ratugolea (hamstring) and ruckman Dante Visentini (ankle) in being sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

Off-season recruit Jack Lukosius (calf) is out for up to a fortnight, while defender Ryan Burton (knee) is in line to miss as many as four weeks.

Backman Lachie Jones will be tested this week after being subbed out of the Showdown with a corked thigh.

Port’s 98-point loss to the Crows started in bizarre fashion on Saturday night when Bergman won the centre clearance and kicked the wrong way, landing on Darcy Fogarty’s chest inside Adelaide’s forward 50.

Bergman described it as a brain fog moment.

“I have to get my compass sorted, and kick it the right way next time,” he said.

“It’s not very funny at the time, but I’m sure I’ll look back on it and have a good laugh.”

ATKINS BACKS IN LUKOSIUS TO REGAIN FORM

A long-time teammate of Jack Lukosius has backed the Port Adelaide recruit to return to his best next season after an injury-hampered first year at the club.

Rory Atkins, who was with Lukosius at Gold Coast from 2021 to 2024, before getting traded with him to the Power last October, was confident the forward could respond well to a campaign in which three separate issues had limited him to six AFL matches.

Lukosius fractured his kneecap in round 2, then hurt his back while sidelined.

After returning for the past four games, he strained his calf in the 98-point Showdown loss on Saturday night.

Jack Lukosius returned for the Power on the weekend. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images.

The 24-year-old has booted six goals this season, including three in a promising comeback match at the Gabba earlier this month.

Atkins was “sure we’ll see his talents come to the forefront in the near future”.

“Jack’s a great player and that’s why the club got him here,” Atkins said.

“I’ve got no doubt he can come in and contribute.

“When he’s been out there, he’s played some really good games and kicked some good bags of goals.

“He’ll bounce back, the character that he is.”

Lukosius played 116 games for the Suns, who drafted him at No. 2 in the 2018 national pool.

He missed only three of their 46 matches the past two seasons.

The Woodville-West Torrens product joined the Power – along with Atkins, ex-Collingwood goalsneak Joe Richards and selections 13, 29, 36 and 50 – in a three-way trade for Dan Houston, picks 39 and 58, and Port’s 2025 first-rounder.

“It’s quite unfortunate with the injuries Jack’s had, but that’s why I think our game’s the toughest in the world,” said Atkins, who was set to retire at season’s end.

“Nothing’s promised, there’s no easy games and it’s such a tough game to get yourself up for week to week (because of injuries).

Jack Lukosius has had a year cursed by injury. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“Jack’s struggling to do that from time to time.”

Meanwhile, injured Power midfielder Jason Horne-Francis said the team’s effort had “definitely fluctuated” during a year it had suffered three of its 13 heaviest AFL losses.

The Showdown thrashing continued the trend for Port, which sustained a 91-point defeat to Collingwood in round 1 then a 90-point drubbing to the Western Bulldogs seven weeks later.

“This year just wasn’t good enough with some of the effort that’s been put out there in some of those games,” Horne-Francis told Triple M.

“Early on, it was just purely effort (leading to the blowouts) in some of them early games.

“Us leaders, we need to demand more of players when it goes pear-shaped.

“They’re deflating losses when you look at the numbers,

“It’s almost pretty embarrassing sometimes.”

Horne-Francis said the club sought to move on quickly from Saturday night, focusing on how it could finish the season strongly in its last four matches.

“We don’t want any performances like we put out on the weekend,” he said.

“We spoke about how we can make the place fun.

“We still want to be improving and playing to win.”