Port Adelaide will be able to cope with the telling losses of its captain Matthew Primus and vice captain Michael Wilson, Power coach Mark Williams says.

Wilson has joined Primus on the sidelines for Port's AFL elimination final against the Kangaroos on Sunday after failing to recover from thigh and back complaints.

With Primus, whose career may be over after undergoing his third knee reconstruction last night, Wilson is among the most admired clubmen at the Power and a vital cog in the team's engine room.

However Williams said the club's leadership group was capable of stepping into the breach.

"(Wilson) is an important player to us, losing the captain and vice captain in the same week is not great for the leadership of our group," he said.

"But luckily we have a group of 10-12 who are going to have to step up a little more, which is important."

In the face of widespread fears that Primus's career is now over after an operation that will keep him out of football for up to 12 months, Williams refused to concede his inspirational captain had played his last game.

"There's some chance (he'll play again)," he said.

"It's disappointing for Matty, and it's very disappointing for the club because he'd done so much hard work to get back to providing us with our captain, our leader and a real inspiration to our side.

"Our club has always played best with Matty playing his best footy and that's disappointing for us."

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