Marquee Port Adelaide forward Charlie Dixon has suffered a setback in his preparation for the 2022 season, receiving surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his ankle.
According to portadelaidefc.com.au, the 31-year-old landed awkwardly during a marking contest in late January.
The swelling in Dixon's ankle had lessened over some time, but the decision was still made to tighten the ligaments via surgery.
This latest statement from the Alberton club comes only days after Port Adelaide assistant coach Chad Cornes claimed that the former Sun appeared likely to avoid going under the knife.
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"Looks like surgery at this stage won't be required," Cornes said on Monday.
"When he initially did it, it looked quite serious. He was in a lot of pain. The talk around it was it would require surgery and could be up to up to three months.
"It was a little frightening to start with but like I touched on, it's getting better and better every day.
"The swelling is going down. He's actually walking around on it pretty much pain-free at the moment. So if all that continues, should avoid surgery and be back on the track around the four-week mark."
Despite the mishap, the veteran forward remains in contention to face the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round 1.
Should Dixon remain fit and the Power proves able to return to the September action this season, the bearded spearhead will make his 200th AFL appearance during the first week of the finals series.
With 294 career goals to his name, the Queenslander is in-line to surpass another milestone within the early stages of his 12th campaign at the level.