PORT Adelaide coach Mark Williams expects star onballer Shaun Burgoyne to be back in the black, white and teal within three weeks.

Burgoyne, 26, hasn’t played since suffering significant bone bruising to his knee in the round three win over Melbourne.

The Power vice-captain underwent arthroscopic surgery in April after experiencing a persistent dull ache in the joint. 

The surgery cleared up minor damage, but the main cause for concern was the lingering bruising where the tibia joins the knee.

The specific type of bruising is most commonly seen in people who have suffered damage to the cruciate ligament in the knee and it’s not known how long the bone takes to heal.

Burgoyne has made repeated attempts to start running, but has been held back after experiencing soreness each time.

On Wednesday, Burgoyne made his best attempt yet when he appeared at the club’s main training session.

The All-Australian still pulled-up sore from the light hit-out, but Williams was confident his star midfielder was on the mend.

“Shaun’s knee is feeling better than it was,” Williams said on Friday.

“Shaun Burgoyne is our best player. Take the best player out of any side and that would show the influence Shaun will have when he comes back into our team.

“It might not be the first week or two, but if we can get him back it will be a significant influence on our game and our results. It also helps Peter Burgoyne or David Rodan and those sort of blokes because it draws attention away from them.”

Midfielders Matt Thomas, who has been named in the Norwood reserves, and Travis Boak are also likely to be available in the next fortnight.

But first, the Power must overcome a spirited Melbourne side at the MCG on Sunday.

The Dees responded to an emotional week - in which club President Jim Stynes revealed he was battling cancer - with a stirring win over West Coast.