Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley forecasts more midfield time for linchpin Robbie Gray as his AFL club seek to end a decade-long hoodoo in Geelong.
Hinkley says Gray will be among a batch of players asked to take up the slack, caused by the loss of injured Chad Wingard for Thursday night's match in Geelong.
Wingard has been ruled out because of a calf strain, with Aaron Young his replacement for Port's trip to a venue where they haven't won since 2007.
Geelong have made three changes, giving defender Jordan Cunico his debut.
He has struggled with injuries since joining the Cats through the 2014 draft.
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The Cats are resting defender Tom Lonergan and have dropped Mark O'Connor, while Nakia Cockatoo has a hamstring injury.
Cam Guthrie and Darcy Lang are the other Cats' inclusions.
The brilliant Gray has played predominantly as a forward this season for the sixth-placed Power but Hinkley says the triple club champion will spend more time in the midfield against Geelong.
But Hinkley has ruled out deploying a tagger on Geelong's star onballer, Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield.
"We just play the way we have to play," Hinkley told reporters on Wednesday at Adelaide Airport.
"Dangerfield, (Joel) Selwood, (Mitch) Duncan, (Tom) Hawkins, (Stephen) Motlop ... you go crazy sometimes worrying about them.
"Our greatest strength this year has been to worry about what we do and we are going to stay in that space."
Hinkley said the third-placed Cats would present a stiff challenge at any venue, let alone their home ground, adding it would take "four tough quarters" for his side to bank a rare win in Geelong.
"I saw them play first hand last week against the Bulldogs, it was a cracking game right to the last quarter and that is what we have got to be willing to play this week," Hinkley said.
"They are a really good football club and football team. They have got good players in all areas of the ground."
Hinkley knows Geelong's home ground intimately, having played 121 games for the Cats.
"It's certainly a more challenging venue to play," he said.
"It's an easier to defend venue ... it would appear that you can actually defend the ground reasonably well because it is a bit narrower.
"But also it has got some length on it that allows you to get going."
