Port Adelaide youngster Zak Butters will be sidelined for approximately a month after suffering another knee injury in his long-awaited comeback game.
Playing in his first match since Round 4, Butters managed 10 disposals in the Power's 31-point loss to Melbourne on Friday night, before landing awkwardly following a marking contest.
Scans on Friday confirmed that the 20-year-old had sprained the medial ligament in his right knee.
Butters has endured a wretched run with injuries this season. He injured his syndesmosis tendon in Round 4 against Richmond, before requiring surgery for a nerve issue in his left knee.
"Sometimes when you have a bad run … it goes against you," Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said of Butters' injury luck in 2021.
"You get back, you're excited about getting back and then all of a sudden, first game back, something else happens."
Butters is the second Port player in consecutive weeks to suffer a knee injury after Kane Farrell ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in Round 16.
Port Adelaide faces a trip to Melbourne to face a resurgent St Kilda side in Round 18, desperately requiring a win if it is to secure a top four finish and a double chance in the finals.
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