PORT Adelaide has suffered a double blow, with defender Janelle Cuthbertson copping a setback in her return from an ACL injury, and young gun Piper Window picking up a syndesmosis injury.
Window came from the field in the club’s round one loss to Fremantle and following scans is set to miss the next four to six weeks. It is a harsh comedown for the 20-year-old who played all 14 games in Port Adelaide’s press to a preliminary final last year.
Meanwhile, Cuthbertson was on track to potentially return this week from the knee injury sustained in week two last year, but started to experience some pain in her foot which scans have revealed to be a stress response, keeping her on the sidelines for a further four to six weeks.
It’s a frustrating result for Cuthbertson who has played just eight of a possible 24 games for the Power since crossing from Fremantle at the end of 2022.
Her setback has also been compounded by an ankle injury to key defender Amelie Borg, although the result is better than first thought, with a return timeline of one to three weeks.
Borg’s foot got caught with that of Fremantle forward Bella Smith’s in an innocuous incident midway through the second quarter, and she immediately struggled to put weight through the foot.
There was an attempt to continue to play, but was soon taken from the ground and ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Port Adelaide must now face reigning premier North Melbourne without the trio, adding to an injury list that already has Julia Teakle, Cheyenne Hammond, and untried young gun Lauren Young still more than a month away.
With eight on the injury list, the Power have confirmed they will be naming two top-up players (drafted from the state leagues, usually their own train-on players) in their extended squad on Thursday night. Teams can choose to field the top-ups if needed for team balance (ie no available rucks), but they’re usually only named as emergencies.
