Port Adelaide key forward Jay Schulz has had surgery to fix a prolapsed disc in his back and will be sidelined for up to 12 weeks.
Schulz has missed the past two AFL games for the Power after injections failed to deliver the desired impact.
He went under the knife on Tuesday to solve the long-term complaint.
"We tried running him at training over the weekend and he pulled up pretty sore after that," Port's high performance boss Darren Buress told the club website.
"He went in for surgery this afternoon, which was a success, and now it's just about ensuring his care during recovery.
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"Backs need a bit more care, so we need to take the rehab slowly with him. At this stage we've not put a time frame on his return."
Earlier on Tuesday, coach Ken Hinkley said Schulz would be out of action for about 10 weeks if an operation was necessary.
"Jay had surgery last year at the end of the season and there's a possibility he may have something similar needed to be done," coach Ken Hinkley told Channel Nine.
"Worst case, if he did need surgery I think it's an eight to 10-week recovery so it still gives him plenty of time to get back this year."
Schulz played 20 games for the Power in 2015, kicking 44 goals and taking 110 marks.
