PORT Adelaide has suffered a double blow ahead of Saturday's Showdown with midfielder Hamish Hartlett and forward Jay Schulz withdrawing from the team to face Adelaide after failing to recover from injury.
Harlett had been in doubt for the game after experiencing hamstring tightness following last Sunday's win over 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.
The Power summoned 20-year-old Victorian Dougal Howard for his debut to replace spearhead Schulz, Aaron Young takes Hartlett's spot while ex-Demon Jimmy Toumpas will debut for Port.
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."
Paul Stewart and Darcy Byrne-Jones have been added to the Power's emergencies.
Port has already lost speedster Matt White after he ruptured his right pectoral muscle in round one.
