PORT Adelaide defender Alipate Carlile is extremely unlikely to play again this season as he continues to battle hip issues.
Carlile hasn't lined up for the Power since round 14 and coach Ken Hinkley said he wasn't sure whether the full back would return in 2015.
Hinkley said the club's approach to Carlile's recovery would be as "equally cautious" to that of Ollie Wines, who underwent a shoulder reconstruction on Monday night.
Wines' operation sent the Power's finals hopes nose diving, and if by the final few rounds any hope of making the top eight is dashed, it would make no sense to insert Carlile back into the squad.
ROUND 23: Power v Freo date finalised
"Personally I don't think we'll see 'Bobby' back, will I say for the year? I'm not sure … I don't think we'll see him back until the last round or two," Hinkley said.
"It's (hip injuries) basically just a bit of wear and tear from a football season … he's ground to a halt a little bit.
"If there's any doubt, again, we [won't play him] and we'll just continue on because (Jack) Hombsch and (Jackson) Trengove and (Tom) Clurey and (Cam) O'Shea and all those blokes who have been playing down back will still do their jobs."
Wines was keen to at least try and prove his fitness on Wednesday.
He remains almost certain to win a third-straight Wanganeen Medal as the Power's best and fairest player under 21.
But with his future in mind, when Wines arrived at training on Wednesday Hinkley promptly sent him for further scans, and ultimately a season-ending procedure.
"He wanted to have a crack to be honest and we took that away from him - I wasn't keen for Ollie to play," the coach said.
"I value what he is to our football club too much for a very short-term gain if there was any.
Wines' absence presents the likes of Andrew Moore, Aaron Young, Sam Gray and Brendon Ah Chee with the opportunity to own a midfield spot.
While Moore and Gray have both proven they can handle the elite level, both are out of contract along with Ah Chee.
Hinkley said players shouldn't feel pressure to save their careers, largely because there was too little time remaining to swing the club's opinion one way or the other.
"There will be some people on the list who will be thinking 'oh gee I've got to make an impact now', that's just reality," he said.
"It probably doesn't mean you save or you lose your career in three or four games of football.
"You've got to be balanced in your views in all those spaces I reckon and not just make a decision based on one week, two weeks."
Angus Monfries and Tom Jonas will play in the SANFL this weekend, with Hinkley wanting to see an improvement in the pair's consistency.
Both are contracted and considered members of the best 22.
