
Kolora-Noorat playing-coach Nick Bourke acknowledges injuries are less than ideal so early in a season but says his group has the resolve to bounce back quickly.
The Power is counting the cost of a hefty injury list stemming from the pre-season and after the side's loss to Panmure on Saturday, but won't be using it as an excuse.
"Injuries are no excuse for the weekend, Panmure were by far the better side and looked really good," he said.
The Power were undoubtedly depleted heading into the Warrnambool and District league round one contest and now even more so after Chris Baxter (knee) and Brad Lucas (ankle) were seriously injured late in the game against the Bulldogs.
Bourke said the pair was expected to miss significant amounts of football.
"I spoke to both of them, Brad has come away with a dislocated and broken ankle which is very disappointing for him, so he's had surgery and is lucky enough to get it done nice and quickly, so he's in hospital on the mend," he said.
"He's just come off an ACL and did a lot of work to get back so I'm shattered for him and Chris dislocated his kneecap.
"He's got an MRI scan later in the week but he's pain-free so we'll know a bit more later in the week."
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The former Geelong rookie said Tyler Beasley (concussion) would also miss a week after coming off during the game. The coach himself missed the opening round clash after fracturing his hand in a practice match against North Warrnambool and expects to miss another week.
Gun recruit Lucas Boyd is still a while away from returning from an ankle injury but tracking well, while Justin Wallace is back at training after a hip complaint but won't be rushed back.
Stars Ben Fraser and Jason Moloney are also batting pre-season niggles with Bourke confident the pair aren't far away.
"It's disappointing and a tough way to start the year but it's a long year and it's a great chance to give some kids a go," he said.
"We had plenty that showed promising signs against a strong opposition - it's not the end of the world, just a part of footy."
The Power will be searching for a win in the round two clash against Nirranda on Saturday.
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