Port AFL midfielder White out for weeks

A significant hamstring injury to speedy midfielder Matt White has added to Port Adelaide’s woes after their 23-point AFL loss to Geelong.

White was helped off the ground by trainers in the second quarter on Friday night after tweaking the hamstring, forcing the Power to activate substitute Aaron Young.

Port coach Ken Hinkley said the injury could sideline the 28-year-old for up to a month.

“(It was) significant, I would suggest, knowing the way he came off, and ‘Whitey’ has got some speed,” he told reporters after the game.

“I would suggest he’ll be missing for a chunk of weeks … three or four weeks for a typical hamstring, I would have thought.”

Port were largely outmatched by Geelong’s stellar defence in their clash at Adelaide Oval, with veteran Corey Enright racking up 29 touches and dictating much of the play.

The young Power side were also frequently wasteful with the ball, Geelong pouncing on turnovers for a number of goals.

It was enough to confirm to Hinkley that his charges have mental hurdles to overcome before they can challenge in September.

“I think we’re feeling the heat of each mistake, and we just need to forget that,” he said.

“We are a corridor team but the opposition are taking it off us a little bit.

“We know where we want to go and how we want to go about it but we’ve just lost a little bit of composure to still go there at the right times.”

With Port preparing to face Carlton in round 12 before going into the bye, Hinkley said it was vital for his team to develop a consistent run of form.

“We’re inconsistent within games, within quarters and within blocks of the season,” he said.

“I think it’s a typical team, just not quite where they need to be.”

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