Port Adelaide’s standout young talent Jason Horne-Francis has avoided a serious long-term knee injury, but his availability for this weekend’s clash against Melbourne remains hanging in the balance, according to Power assistant coach Stuart Dew.
The 20-year-old midfielder was forced to hobble off the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch midway through Port Adelaide’s loss to the Swans on Saturday afternoon, leaving fans and coaching staff fearing the worst after he immediately clutched at his knee following a contested play. Follow-up scans have delivered a far more positive diagnosis than initial fears suggested, revealing only bone bruising rather than the structural ligament damage many expected.
Despite the welcome news on his injury, Dew confirmed on Monday that the club’s medical team will continue monitoring the young gun’s recovery over the coming 48 hours to determine whether he can take the field against the Demons. “He’ll be touch and go this week, obviously with a little bit of bone bruising when that happens for anyone,” Dew told reporters. “But from where we thought it could’ve been from when he came off, it’s a great result. You see how it settles down, like a normal game under any circumstance it will end up being a medical call. I am sure he will want to play, but we’ll see how it settles down the next couple of days and once he gets moving we’ll get a little bit more information.”
The fitness question mark extends beyond Horne-Francis to another of Port Adelaide’s key midfielders, Zak Butters, who has been sidelined since sustaining a syndesmosis injury in Round 18. Butters is widely tipped to request a trade back to Victoria during the upcoming offseason, meaning a Round 24 clash against Essendon next week could mark his farewell appearance for the Power.
The star midfielder has been vocal about his desire to return in time for the final round of the regular season, but Dew made clear the club will not rush his recovery to put him back on the field prematurely. Dew joked that much of the growing optimism around Butters’ potential return has been driven by the player himself, emphasizing that the club’s priority is his long-term health over a single farewell match.
“He’s pushing to try and get back and I think that’s a good mindset but again, there will be no risk taken,” Dew said. “In terms of the side, he’s going to have to have put in a bit of work on the training track and at the moment he’s still getting up and running. It’ll be, not a miracle, but again just a medical call at the end of the day to see how he’s going, but there’s no need to rush. He’s got another week or so to continue to get moving and try to get back into training but no risk will be taken.”
For Port Adelaide, the outcomes of these two fitness battles will do little to shift the club’s position on the 2024 AFL ladder. Following the Gold Coast Suns’ victory over GWS on Sunday, the Power are all but locked into 15th place for the season with just two rounds remaining, ending any mathematical chance of reaching the finals series.