Port Adelaide vice-captain Hamish Hartlett and key forward Jay Schulz will miss Saturday’s AFL clash against Adelaide because of injury.
Hartlett is complaining of hamstring tightness while Schulz injured his back in last week’s season-opening win against St Kilda.
“Hammer (Hartlett) has got some hamstring awareness, it’s too early in the season to take any risks with him, he has got a history,” Port coach Ken Hinkley told reporters on Friday.
Port summoned 20-year-old Victorian Dougal Howard for his AFL debut to replace spearhead Schulz, Aaron Young takes Hartlett’s spot while ex-Demon Jimmy Toumpas will debut for Port, replacing Matt White (torn pectoral).
Schulz reported a sore back after last weekend’s victory, Hinkley said.
“At training on Wednesday he got halfway through and said ‘I’m still pretty sore’ … we thought it would settle down but it hasn’t,” he said.
Debutant Howard, at 199cm tall, was recast into a ruck role in the aftermath of Paddy Ryder’s suspension in January – until then, he wasn’t in Hinkley’s plans.
“Before Christmas I would have thought that he’s a long, long way away from playing AFL football,” Hinkley said of Howard.
“We got the news of Paddy and Gus (Monfries) situation, it elevated Dougal into a position where he was a little bit unfamiliar, but his growth from the time he went in there in January has been quite amazing.”
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