Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is preparing to axe some underperforming players despite his AFL club’s injury crisis.
Hinkley says he’ll make up to four changes for Sunday’s home game against Gold Coast.
Only only change is likely to be forced – replacing the injured Ryan Burton (hamstring).
“There have been some players who have been off the mark a little bit so we will look at their form,” Hinkley told reporters on Thursday.
Hinkley will again be without co-captains Tom Jonas (calf) and Ollie Wines (fractured ankle) while vice-captain Hamish Hartlett hasn’t played all season after suffering hamstring problems on the comeback trail from last year’s knee reconstruction.
Spearhead Charlie Dixon (broken leg) also is yet to return to action this year while Jack Watts was unlikely to play again this year because of a broken leg.
Power stalwarts Robbie Gray (broken hand) and Brad Ebert (concussion) have been ruled out of the Adelaide Oval fixture against the Suns.
Ebert was concussed a fortnight ago against Collingwood and has been sent to Melbourne for extra tests.
“We won’t know until we get some of those results back, so this is being cautious as a football club,” Hinkley said.
“And that is the really important part for us to understand is that with Brad, we’re just making sure that he’s okay.”
Hinkley said the spate of injuries was challenging Port, which has lost its past two games to slide to 11th on the ladder.
“We have probably got eight of our best 10 or 12 players unavailable,” he said.
“But we’ll be okay, we will get some back.
“What we have seen, we get to produce opportunities for people who are underneath who have been at times struggling to get their opportunities.
“So there’s always some good stuff that comes out of injuries and that is what always look at, the positive.”
Hinkley said first-year utility Zak Butters would return after a one-match absence to face Gold Coast with Billy Frampton, untried Joel Garner, Joe Atley and ex-Sun Trent McKenzie also in the selection frame.