PORT Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin will miss the remaining three home and away games after he was booked in for surgery this week to repair damaged cartilage in his knee.

Former coach Matthew Primus had hoped Chaplin could play through the rest of the season and then have surgery.

[ Related: Round 20 injury update ]

But interim coach Garry Hocking said that while resting Chaplin in round 19 looked to have helped, it was clear that by the end of last Sunday's game against Hawthorn that surgery would be the only option.

"[With] the opportunity to have a rest the previous week, we found that he really was refreshed and recovered and ready to play," Hocking said.

"Unfortunately from the game, you've probably seen in the second half that he deteriorated … he needs to now go into surgery."