ALL-AUSTRALIAN defender Aliir Aliir is set to miss a significant portion of Port Adelaide's season after undergoing ankle syndesmosis surgery.
There is better news for Power teammates Trent McKenzie (knee) and Xavier Duursma (collarbone), who were among those hurt during the round one defeat to Brisbane.
LEAVING IT LATE Lions storm home over wounded Port
According to assistant coach Nathan Bassett, McKenzie and Duursma are considered chances to take on Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
But Aliir's ankle injury and subsequent surgery will likely sideline him for at least a month, with Bassett hinting former Lions and SANFL defender Sam Skinner could fill the void in defence.
"(Aliir) has been outstanding, so he's difficult to replace," Bassett told reporters on Monday.
"Sam does have a similar mindset in terms of the way he goes for the ball and intercepts marks, and he's hard as a cat's head.
"If he plays, he'll give us everything that he has, but clearly (it is not easy to) replace an All-Australian defender."
Port could also use Jeremy Finlayson or Todd Marshall as tall defenders, especially if key forward Charlie Dixon returns from an ankle injury.
However, the club's three-time leading goalkicker is yet to be given the green light.
There were initial fears McKenzie had suffered significant damage when he hyperextended his knee but Bassett confirmed the defender is an "outside chance" to play this week.
Duursma was crunched by Mitch Robinson in a collision that led to the Brisbane hard nut being reported for forceful front-on contact.
It was graded as careless conduct, high contact and medium impact, resulting in a one-match suspension.
The Lions have opted to challenge that ruling at the Tribunal.
