Port Adelaide track watch: Esava Ratugolea helped off the field as Power’s new-look defence takes shape
Last week, Port Adelaide tall Brandon Zerk-Thatcher was ruled out for the start of the season. Now, this morning, Esava Ratugolea was helped off the track. Here’s the latest.
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Port Adelaide’s Esava Ratugolea has avoided a serious knee injury but the Power could still be facing a shortage of key defenders to start the season.
Ratugolea hurt his knee during the final moments of the Power’s warm-up drill on Monday and was immediately in some discomfort.
He was assisted from the track at Alberton by several trainers and sent for scans.
In good news for the Power the scans have revealed he pinched his medial meniscus.
While he has avoided a serious knee injury, Ratugolea will see a specialist in the coming days - meaning he could be in doubt for the Power’s start to the season.
It follows on from Brandon Zerk-Thatcher being ruled out of the start of the season after he suffered an acute lumbar disc injury last week.
Should Ratugolea miss time it would leave the Power with just Aliir Aliir as a senior key defensive option with the untried Xavier Walsh in his second year at Alberton and basketballer Jacob Moss only recently coming to the club as Category B rookie.
The Power could play Miles Bergman as a hybrid tall defender and that is what he did during match sim on Monday as Port pitted its strongest attack and defence against each other.
With Ratugolea and Zerk-Thatcher on the sidelines, as well as Lachie Jones as he deals with an adductor issue, the Power’s strongest backline consisted of Aliir, Bergman, Ryan Burton, Kane Farrell, Josh Sinn and Logan Evans.
Aliir and Bergman played as talls with Farrell taking kick-ins.
In the forwards group was Mitch Georgiades, Jack Lukosius, Ollie Lord, Joe Richards, Willie Rioli, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Sam Powell-Pepper and Joe Berry.
Berry was wearing a pink non-contact hat after he sustained a poke to the eye just under two weeks ago.
Richards had some very impressive moments with some pressure acts that led to goals during match sim.
Originally published as Port Adelaide track watch: Esava Ratugolea helped off the field as Power’s new-look defence takes shape
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