PORT Adelaide key defender Jackson Trengove has been cleared of any fracture in his left ankle but will undergo further scans to determine the extent of the injury.

He underwent surgery on his other ankle – his right – early last year.

Trengove was helped off Adelaide Oval on Sunday night and while high performance manager Darren Burgess said it was positive news there was no break, he believed there was still damage done.

“Jackson hasn’t fractured his ankle, but we’ll send him for an MRI to get a better understanding of what he’s actually done,” Burgess told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“The X-ray just showed the ankle wasn’t broken, but we suspect there’s other damage in there, and we won’t be exactly certain of what he’s done until the MRI results come through.”

Losing the vital member of the Power's line-up for an extended period is the last thing Port needs given its recent run of form.

Sunday's 33-point loss to Richmond saw the side fall to 13th on the ladder, with just three wins from eight rounds.

If Trengove is forced to again spend time on the sidelines, vice-captain Brad Ebert believed the club had the players available to replace him.

"He's brilliant when he's in the backline, he really is that pillar down there," Ebert said.

"But in saying that I think Jack Hombsch, Tom Jonas, 'Bobby' Carlile – they're guys who can really stand up and do the job.

"Tom Clurey's been playing some good footy in the SANFL and he'd definitely be one of the guys that will get a look in … him, Paul Stewart, Tom Logan – there's all these guys playing in the SANFL that are putting their hand up week after week."

Ebert also said the Power would block out the "external noise" of their doubters, convinced a top-eight finish remains within their grasp.

Coach Ken Hinkley and captain Travis Boak have both admitted the side was badly out of form, and Ebert echoed their view.

However, he insisted there were positives to take from the club's fifth loss of the season and said he still believed the Power could play finals football this season.

"Our goals haven't changed – we're still aiming to make the top eight, to compete hard and to see where we go from there," Ebert said on Monday.

"It's not like we've just written off the season or anything like that – there's been a number of teams over the years who have been able to turn it around from these sort of situations.

"You don't listen to too much of the external noise going on.

"I understand that the processes that we put in place do work, and if we stick to it in time it will turn.

"Internally we'll just keep working on it and not let too many distractions faze us."