Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak has succumbed to a back injury that forced the Power into a premature sub change during Friday's clash with Essendon.
Boak suffered the injury in the second term of the match and hobbled off the field to gain attention from club trainers.
The former Power skipper went down to the club's rooms before the main break and would reappear at half-time having been replaced by tactical sub Jase Burgoyne.
Speaking after the 69-point win over the Bombers, coach Ken Hinkleyย played down concerns surrounding the 25-year-old, with Boak fortunately avoiding a similar knock to his ribs that hindered his 2023 campaign.
He got a knock in the back, so it wasn't his ribs he suffered from last year which is a good result in some ways,"
"His back has been a little bit tender over the last three or four weeks but in his words it's just 'old man's back, so it's gonna be okay."
Burgoyne came into the match for the second half as the power held a 35-point lead, with the club cruising to their third win for the year.
In a further boost for the Power ahead of next week's meeting with Fremantle at Adelaide Oval, Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines could return from a minor hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for Gather Round.
Hinkley said Wines is expected to return, but will need to prove his fitness throughout next week.
"Optimistically we do (expect Wines to return in Round 5), but I've said it before - hamstrings you're never quite sure," the Power coach said.
"But he ran really well yesterday, a lot of running. So everything should be okay."
The Power have an eight-day break before their clash against the Dockers.
Essendon also made their sub change, with Jye Menzie replaced by Nick Hind midway through the third term for tactical reasons.
Young midfield-forward Archie Perkins was ruled out of the rest of the game in the dying minutes of the third term due to a hamstring injury in what was another sour note for the Bombers.
Coach Brad Scott revealed after the game that Perkins has likely suffered a strain and is expected to miss next week's meeting with the Bulldogs at the very least.
He felt it. So in the modern age, sometimes you don't even need to feel it to be an issue. If you have awareness that's bad enough," Scott said.
"So the fact that he felt it suggests that he won't play next week."
Essendon defender Jayden Laverde was able to shake off a high knock in the first half, while Power pair Todd Marshall (hamstring) and Miles Bergman (thumb) also overcame their own concerns.
