Port defender faces match day fitness test - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Port defender faces match day fitness test

By Steve Larkin 20/05/2011 01:59:41 PM Comments (0)

Port Adelaide defender Alipate Carlile faces a match day fitness test to determine if he'll play against Fremantle on Saturday.

The fullback missed Port's final training session on Friday with what coach Matthew Primus described as a sore right leg.

And although forward Jay Schulz completed the 45-minute session, he is not a certain starter against the Dockers at AAMI Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Power coach Matthew Primus was confident the bookends would front against the Dockers, but final decisions won't be made until just hours before the match.

Primus, seeking Port's second win of the season, said Carlile received treatment for his injury on Thursday.

"We're going to test him tomorrow and see how he comes up, so he's in some kind of doubt," Primus said on Friday.

"I'd say he's more likely (to play).

"He trained fully Wednesday and was no worries, it just got a bit sore Thursday.

"It seems to be a common occurrence across the competition at the moment, there's a lot of sore guys and you're finding out very late in the week who is going to be available."

Schulz reported hamstring tightness in Port's loss to Sydney last weekend but moved freely at Friday's tune-up.

"The only query left will be to see how he pulls up tomorrow after training Thursday and today, but we're pretty confident he's going to be fine," Primus said.

The injury-hit Dockers named Tendai Mzungu for his AFL debut while unable to consider Adam McPhee (knee).

Fremantle dropped John Anthony, Jay van Berlo and Jayden Pitt, with goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne, Rhys Palmer and Dylan Roberton recalled.

Primus refused to consider the Dockers vulnerable due to their injuries.

"They do have a lot of injuries, which seems to be common around the AFL at the moment," he said.

"But in saying that, they're best players are available and it's all the players around them that they're struggling with.

"We can't worry about that, we just concern ourselves with the people we put on the park."

Despite Port's lowly status, Primus said there signs of improvement.

"Our plans are very good, it's just whether we can keep sticking to them for the four quarters," he said.

"The last two weeks we have won six out of eight quarters."

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