Port Adelaide forward set to miss the beginning of the 2024 season.

A training mishap occurring a week before Round 1 has sidelined Port Adelaide forward Ollie Lord for the initial rounds of the 2024 season.

Lord sustained the injury when he “landed heavily in a marking contest” during the club’s Saturday session, leading to scans that revealed an impaction fracture in his leg and bone bruising on his knee.

Both the Power and Lord will seek advice from a specialist next week to determine if the 22-year-old requires surgery on his leg, potentially prolonging his absence from the new season.

According to a club update, “Key forward Ollie Lord will be sidelined for a period of time after sustaining an injury during training on Saturday.” The update continued, “Lord landed heavily in a marking contest, with scans showing high-grade bone bruising on the knee and an impaction fracture in the tibia. The 22-year-old will consult a specialist in the coming days to determine whether surgery is required. Lord will miss the start of the season, with a timeframe for return to become clear soon.”

Lord, who played 13 games for Port Adelaide last year and made his debut in Round 6 against West Coast at Adelaide Oval, kicked 15 goals for the season and recently signed a two-year contract extension during the offseason.

Port Adelaide is already dealing with the absence of Quinton Narkle (back), Kyle Marshall (back), Hugh Jackson (hip), and Tom McCallum (ankle) for the opening rounds of the home and away season.

The Power will face West Coast in South Australia next Sunday afternoon as both teams commence their new campaigns.