Surgery grounds Fantasia

PORT Adelaide forward Orazio Fantasia is expected to be unavailable for the AFL club at least a couple of months after having knee surgery.

The 26-year-old has gone under the knife in Victoria to fix a sore right knee that had been nagging him over summer. It was a follow-up to an earlier off-season procedure.

Power assistant Nathan Bassett suggested the former Essendon goalsneak would be sidelined for the first month of the season.

“They’re talking about running in four to six weeks and probably a month of good training after that, and he should he ready to play,” he said.

Spearhead Charlie Dixon is close to running again as he recovers from ankle surgery.

Bassett said the club expected the 31-year-old to play in round 1 against Brisbane at the Gabba on March 19.