Port Adelaide will have their fingers crossed star midfielder Zak Butters will be available for the club's next final after the All-Australian played just a half on Friday night against Geelong due to a rib injury.
Butters was kept to just eight disposals until the main break, with the Power pulling the trigger on their sub-change before the ball had been bounced for the second half.
The club soon confirmed a rib injury was what forced them into removing Butters from the game, with coach Ken Hinkley revealing Butters had been battling with soreness.
"He's actually a little bit sore, so we might have to make a decision early in the second half (on) how he's going to go,"ย Hinkley toldย Channel 7 at half-time.
Former Geelong player Quinton Narkle came into the game for the start of the third quarter as the Cats held a 20-point lead.
The margin blew out to 84 points by the end of the game, with Hinkley looking helpless in the coach's box.
"It's a pretty clear indication he's pretty sore at the moment, but we'll wait and see what happens with scans tomorrow and hope that he's OK," Hinkley said in the post-game.
"He was voted the toughest player in the AFL by his peers, and he couldn't go out there and play again โฆ it must be reasonably sore for Zak to be like that."
Port Adelaide now await their opponents for next week's semi final, which will be decided at the MCG on Friday night between Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs.
The serious enough rib injury would place Butters in doubt for next weekend.
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