Brynn Teakle’s AFL career could be over after being injured on debut for Port Adelaide

The AFL career of Port Adelaide’s mid-season draftee Brynn Teakle could last just 35 minutes.

But he reckons it’s the best 35 minutes ever.

Teakle, 17 days after being picked up by Port in the mid-season draft, made his AFL debut on Saturday against Sydney.

Midway through the second quarter, he broke his left collarbone.

“He has got enough spunk about him to say as he’s walking off at halftime ‘that’s the best 35 minutes ever’,” Port coach Ken Hinkley said.

“He’s happy with himself and the fact that he’s playing AFL football.”

Mid-season draftees are signed on a short-term contract - $50,000 base payment plus any match fees - which expire on October 31.

If Teakle, who may not return from his broken collarbone this season, doesn’t get offered another AFL contract, he gets another lump sum of $20,000.

But he’s clearly got an admirer in Hinkley, who pre-game spoke glowingly of the West Australian’s bubbly outlook.

And the 22-year-old Teakle showed some promise in his brief debut: three kicks, two handballs, two tackles, nine hit-outs and one strong overhead mark.

Another mid-season draftee, Sam Durdin, also made an AFL club debut, for Carlton, last Thursday night.

Like Teakle, Durdin was injured: scans revealed he suffered a medial ligament injury in a knee and will miss at least a month.

Durdin, who played 22 games in four years at North Melbourrne before being delisted at the end of last season, was drafted by the Blues amid their injury crisis to key defenders.

But by the time Durdin recovers, Carlton’s backline mainstays Jacob Weitering (shoulder), Oscar McDonald (back), Mitch McGovern (hamstring) and Caleb Marchbank (knee) could be available again.