Schulz surgery leaves Port’s attack short
Port Adelaide’s plan of a feast of tall targets will go back to the drawing board after key forward Jay Schulz had surgery yesterday to fix a prolapsed disc in his back.
He will be sidelined for up to 12 weeks, leaving Gold Coast recruit Charlie Dixon to hold down the key forward position in a side that was set to boast a triumvirate of Schulz, Dixon and mobile ruckman Paddy Ryder, whose 2016 campaign has been cruelled by the Essendon doping ban.
Schulz has missed the past two games for the Power after injections failed to deliver the desired impact.
He went under the knife yesterday to solve the long-term complaint.
“We tried running him at training over the weekend and he pulled up pretty sore after that,” Port’s high performance boss Darren Buress told the club website.
“He went in for surgery this afternoon, which was a success, and now it’s just about ensuring his care during recovery.
“Backs need a bit more care, so we need to take the rehab slowly with him. At this stage we’ve not put a time frame on his return.”
Earlier, coach Ken Hinkley said Schulz would be out of action for about 10 weeks if an operation was necessary.
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“Jay had surgery last year at the end of the season and there’s a possibility he may have something similar needed to be done,” he told Channel Nine.
“Worst case, if he did need surgery I think it’s an eight to 10-week recovery so it still gives him plenty of time to get back this year.”
Schulz played 20 games for the Power in 2015, kicking 44 goals and taking 110 marks.
-AAP
