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Port's McKenzie gets welcome injury news

3 minute read

Port Adelaide's Trent McKenzie has been cleared of structural damage to a shoulder as the Power seek to spoil the AFL milestone of Hawthorn's Shaun Burgoyne.

TRENT MCKENZIE of the Power.
TRENT MCKENZIE of the Power. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Port Adelaide defender Trent McKenzie has been cleared of serious injury as his AFL club plots to spoil the rare milestone of Hawthorn's Shaun Burgoyne.

Scans showed McKenzie suffered no structural damage in his left shoulder, with Power hierarchy hopeful the backman can overcome a sprained AC joint and play against the Hawks.

The Saturday night fixture will be Burgoyne's 400th AFL match - only four others have achieved that feat in VFL/AFL history.

Burgoyne played 157 of his games with Port, winning a premiership with the South Australian club in 2004.

A teammate in that grand final triumph, Jarrad Schofield, is now an assistant coach at the Power - he retired from playing in 2006.

"I played in a premiership with him and spent a lot of time with him at Port Adelaide as a player - and he is an icon of the game," Schofield told reporters on Monday.

"I am coaching - he is still playing.

"It is a wonderful effort by Shaun to reach 400 games, and I would have never envisioned that at all.

"It is his 400th, a big occasion for him and the Hawthorn Football Club.

"He is a Port Adelaide premiership player, we acknowledge his efforts and the service he has given to the AFL.

"But we have to get the win. And we have to put that (milestone) aside and get the win we are looking for on a big day for Shaun."

With McKenzie likely to recover in time for the Marvel Stadium match, fellow tall defender Tom Clurey could make his return in state league ranks from a broken jaw suffered seven weeks ago.

Veteran Hamish Hartlett, a late withdrawal from Saturday's 10-point win over Sydney because of a hip complaint, will press for selection.

Spearhead Charlie Dixon has been cleared of an ankle injury after hobbling late in the win against the Swans and winger Xavier Duursma could return from a knee injury which has sidelined him since round four.

But Schofield rated recruit Orazio Fantasia as an "unknown" prospect for this week regarding his comeback from knee surgery in the mid-season break.

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