Port Adelaide vs GWS Giants — AFL 2026 Round 21
Match details
Round health not yet available.
Head-to-head
Value-weighted players used — 1st = most churn of key players, 18th = most settled. Weighted by player value (our metric), not raw squad size.
Soft-tissue = the OSIICS muscle/tendon family — the injuries most prone to recurrence (PTA 2, GWS 2).
What do these scores mean?
- Round Health
- — point-in-time (0–100, 100 = no injury absences), weighting current ongoing absences on a fixed scale comparable across rounds. The league average drifts down as the season's injury load builds, so low late-season numbers are normal.
- Season Health
- — cumulative season-to-date: value-weighted injury burden, availability and incidence. Load-managed rests are excluded from both.
- State
- SA
- Surface
- Natural grass
- Roof
- Open roof
- Capacity
- 53,583
Possible returns
Currently-injured players who could feature — fitness tests, squad signals and projected returns.
- ManagedDue (5 days ago)
- Jesse HoganProjected returnWrist/Hand — Finger FractureDue this week
- Head/Neck — ConcussionDue this week
Returnees to watch
Recently back from injury and still in the elevated-reinjury window — risk concentrates in the first games back, especially for soft-tissue.
- Kane Farrellback from groin/hip · 1 game back
- Miles Bergmanback from foot · 2 games back
- Jayden Laverdeback from hamstring · 1 game backSoft-tissue return — recurrence risk is highest in the first games back.
- Xavier O'Halloranback from ankle/foot · 1 game back
- Phoenix Gothardback from systemic/other · 1 game back
- Toby McMullinback from hamstring · 1 game backRecurrenceSoft-tissue return — recurrence risk is highest in the first games back.
- Logan Smithback from knee · 2 games back
Current injuries
The confirmed outs for both squads (23 across both), ranked by impact. Players in doubt are listed under Possible returns above.
PTA carry the cleaner bill of health — GWS enter with 15 ongoing injuries to PTA's 11, 6 of them long-term.
Groin/Hip — Hip Labral Tear
Long-termDue Mar 1, 2027Knee — Knee Injury (General)
Long-termAwaiting DiagnosisFragileDue Jun 20, 2027Knee — MCL Sprain
Long-termDue Oct 1Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termInjury-proneDue Oct 1Shoulder — Labral Tear
Long-termInjury-proneDue Oct 1Knee — Knee Injury (General)
Long-termDue Oct 1Ankle/Foot — High Ankle Sprain
SevereDue Sep 5Hamstring — Hamstring Tendon Injury
SevereDue Sep 30Head/Neck — Concussion
MinorDue Jul 26- Lachie JonesDEF
Chest/Torso — Rib Contusion
MinorDue Jul 26 Hamstring — Hamstring Strain
MinorDue Jul 25
Signals
- 2recurrences
- 1awaiting diagnosis
- 3durability-fragile
- Body regions:
- Knee4
- Hamstring2
- What they lose: 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, 1 forward
Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Dec 1Groin/Hip — Hip Osteoarthritis
Long-termDue Mar 1, 2027Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Jul 25Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Oct 1Knee — Patella Dislocation
SevereInjury-proneDue Jul 25- Nick MaddenLTI
Knee — Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Injury
SevereInjury-proneDue (5 days ago) Shoulder — Shoulder Dislocation
ModerateFragileDue Aug 22Lower Leg — Calf Strain
ModerateDue Aug 1Foot — Foot Injury (General)
ModerateAwaiting DiagnosisDue Aug 1- Jack BuckleyDEF
Hamstring — Hamstring Strain
ModerateDue (5 days ago) Ankle/Foot — High Ankle Sprain
ModerateDue Aug 8Quadriceps — Quadriceps Strain
MinorDue this week
Signals
- 2recurrences
- 1awaiting diagnosis
- 4durability-fragile
- Body regions:
- Knee5
- Groin/Hip2
- What they lose: 6 of 11 outs are forwards
Recurrence flags repeat injuries to the same body region within 24 months.
Injury classifications use the OSIICS system (Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System). © John Orchard — Free to use with acknowledgment.