Latest news with #EsavaRatugolea
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Injured Port Adelaide trio ruled out for season
Injured Port Adelaide trio Sam Powell-Pepper, Esava Ratugolea and Dante Visentini have been ruled for the rest of the AFL season. Powell-Pepper requires a knee reconstruction, Ratugolea will be sidelined by a hamstring tear and young ruckman Visentini by an ankle injury. The Power players were all hurt in a loss to Brisbane which ruled out Ken Hinkley's chances of reaching the finals in his last season as coach. "Three very loved guys," Port assistant coach Tyson Goldsack told reporters on Monday. "For Pep to go down, it's kind of heartbreaking for him. "Considering the work he put him to come back, and then how he was playing as well on top of that. "And Sav (Ratugolea) is in the same boat, had a really good year for us, started to play with a lot of confidence. "Then Viz as well ... a loss to Brisbane up there is bad enough, and then to have the three injuries as well, it's a pretty dark weekend." Powell-Pepper will have surgery on his left knee, after suffering the same injury to his right knee in round eight last year. "(He was) really emotional to start with, I'm talking Saturday night," Goldsack said. "As the night kind of wore on, he was coming to terms with it. "He's going to have some struggles over the next 12 months. "Now, as hard as it is, it's probably not the hardest time - the hardest time is when you when you have to work back through the process to get back and get fit again. "As hard as this is to take now, he'll have some some more struggles along the journey, which he knows about. "He's just been through it so it's still pretty fresh but he's got a young family that I'm sure will keep him busy." Powell-Pepper and his wife Brya last week celebrated the birth of their third child.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Second ACL confirmed for Sam Powell-Pepper, season also over for Port Adelaide teammates Esava Ratugolea and Dante Visentini
Port Adelaide is winding up the season of three key players as a result of injuries sustained last weekend, with Sam Powell-Pepper's second ACL injury confirmed. Defender Esava Ratugolea and emerging young ruckman Dante Visentini are also done for 2025 after a night of injury carnage in last Saturday's loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. Powell-Pepper, 27, ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee, just 15 months after he did the same to his right knee. He only played three games last season but worked his way back from the heartbreaking injury to play 15 games in 2025 before the devastating blow. 'It's such a disappointing outcome for Sam and for the club,' Port Adelaide head of medical services Tim O'Leary said. 'Sam is so courageous and hardworking and was incredibly diligent with his previous knee rehab. There is no doubt he will approach this rehab with his usual high level of commitment, attacking it in the same way he attacks the footy.' Ratugolea, meanwhile, sustained a high-grade hamstring injury during a spoil, while Visentini suffered a high-grade syndesmosis injury in a ruck contest. Visentini will have to undergo surgery this week, while Ratugolea's treatment plan will be determined over the coming days, but the injury is severe enough to end his season. Port Adelaide can't make the finals, and coach Ken Hinkley will hand over duties to Josh Carr at the end of the season. 'It's really unfortunate to lose Esava and Dante at this point in the year,' O'Leary said. 'The silver lining is that there will be no impact on their pre-seasons, which gives them the best chance to prepare for 2026.' Second-year player Lachie Charleson has had a successful procedure on a broken finger and will be sidelined for up to a fortnight.
