Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) and Geelong coaches Ken Hinkley and Chris Scott have provided updates on the host of key players that suffered injuries in the first half of Saturday's clash at Adelaide Oval.
Four players recorded hamstring complaints in the slippery wet conditions in South Australia, with star skipper Patrick Dangerfield and Jack Bowes going down for Geelong, while gun youngster Jason Horne-Francis as well as Lachie Jones were also hamstrung after Josh Sinn came from the field earlier and was subbed out with a hip concern.
Power coach Hinkley said that his trio of injured players were all "expected" to miss at least Round 11's encounter with Fremantle next week, but scans will reveal the full extent of each recovery timeline.
"They're all expected to, I'd imagine, to miss more than one week, but we'll wait and see what the scan say," Hinkley said.
"We're not in the position right now to say whether they're a one-week or two-week or four-week hamstrings with what went on with, particularly with Lachie and Jason. Sinn's a bit different as he's a hip (injury) as a direct blow with a knee, so we'll wait to see what the scan is.
Hinkley said the early losses impacted his side's "structure", as relying on just two on the bench forced makeshift positional set-ups throughout the contest.
"It was a significant hamstring day, wasn't it?" Hinkley said.
"Slippery conditions, weather - I don't know, all those things you have to consider. But it seems a bit too coincidental to have four, all in the first half.
"They (injured Power players) were significant to our structure. We had to mix and match a fair bit, probably too much. And when you're mix and matching all the time, and things keep breaking down on you at the midpoint, the opposition are able to go back at you.
"I think that was significant, in terms of the way we would like to move the ball, use the ball, get the ball."
Scott said post-game that Bowes' hamstring injury was clear, but less clarity initially on Dangerfield's injury suggests that his concern is not as much of a long-term worry.
"Jack Bowes did a hamstring early, and that was pretty clear, where Dangerfield has a hamstring issue as well - more minor than Bowes is the feedback that I've got, and a little less clear exactly what it is which is a good sign," the Geelong coach revealed.
"Bowes clearly was out of the game pretty much straight away, but we were sort of thinking through Dangerfield in the mid-season period.
"So likely what it means for us is he'll just miss a week or two more than we had planned through this period leading up to our bye."
Scott also commented on Jeremy Cameron, who appeared sore in the first half, but managed to play his way through it, and at a starring level at that, scoring a season-high seven goals.
"It looked like that was going to be a challenging period. We were sort of sitting there going, 'Okay, well, Horne-Francis and Sinn and Jones are obviously going to make it hard for them, but then we'll kind of raise you Cameron and Dangerfield and Bowes," Scott said.
"Jeremy was sore, but fortunately it was something that sort of got better as it went on, and that was obvious, with the way he played."
The Cats have a major challenge against the in-form Bulldogs in Round 11, and missing Dangerfield could be an impactful loss next Thursday night.
The Bulldogs have had their own injury issues of their own this season, but their next man up philosophy has paid dividends, winning six games of their opening 10 matches, and failing to lose by more than four goals in a clash this season.
A fresh rivalry off the back of Bailey Smith's Ballarat crowd comments, Geelong will need their depth midfield stocks to stand up in the anticipated fiery clash should Dangerfield and Bowes both miss Round 11.
