PORT Adelaide has suffered a significant blow, with defender Jackson Trengove requiring ankle surgery which will sideline him until after the club's round 13 bye.

 

Trengove was cleared of any fractures in his left ankle after Sunday night's loss to Richmond but subsequent MRI scans showed serious ligament damage.

 

The key defender missed four games in July last year after surgery on his right ankle and a pre-season shoulder operation threatened to delay his start to 2015.

 

Port's high performance manager Darren Burgess said it could have been worse but Trengove would still miss a significant period of football.

 

“The MRI showed significant ligament damage for Jackson, which is clearly bad news and he’ll miss around six weeks because of that,” Burgess told portadelaidefc.com.au.

 

“That takes him, at this stage, to around Sydney/Collingwood [for a return].

 

“Fortunately it’s not as bad as we thought it could be on the night - with no fracture - but it’s still going to keep him out of action for several games.”