Hurt Ryder to miss 6

PORT Adelaide has been dealt a major AFL injury blow with another foot injury set to sideline Paddy Ryder for up to six weeks.

Scans have revealed the Power ruckman suffered achilles tendinitis during Port’s 50-point victory over Fremantle on Saturday.

Assistant coach Matthew Nicks told FiveAA radio yesterday that Ryder would miss four to six weeks.

Arguably Port’s most important player, Ryder has a history of achilles tendon injuries and will be difficult to replace for a side which lost Jackson Trengove and Matthew Lobbe during the offseason. The 30-year-old was in a moon boot at the club’s Alberton headquarters yesterday.

Brisbane’s Daniel Rich also faces an extended spell on the sidelines after hurting his ankle during Saturday’s loss to St Kilda.

The most serious injury from round one was the second anterior cruciate ligament rupture of Tom Liberatore’s AFL career.

The Western Bulldogs midfielder suffered the injury to his right knee, while the same injury to the left knee sidelined him for the 2015 season.

Liberatore was due to undergo a reconstruction last night, ending this season for him as well.

COLLINGWOOD key forward Mason Cox has been slapped with a one-game AFL ban for striking Daniel Howe, while teammate Brayden Maynard faces a fine for staging.

Cox caught Howe high with his elbow in the third quarter of Saturday night’s opening-round loss to Hawthorn at the MCG.

Match review officer Michael Christian classified the incident as intentional conduct with low impact to the head.

Magpies defender Maynard has been fined $1000 after becoming the first player of the regular season to face the rare charge of staging.

Brisbane midfielder Mitch Robinson can also accept a one-game suspension for striking St Kilda’s Seb Ross during the Saturday afternoon match at Etihad Stadium. Robinson had been playing in his first game since round seven, 2017.