GARY Ablett is a "massive" chance to play Port Adelaide on Saturday night, says Gold Coast coach Dean Solomon.
Ablett last played against Fremantle in round 20 and has played just two of the past nine games with a combination of hamstring and calf injuries.
Solomon says the two-time Brownlow Medal winner will be named in Gold Coast's 22 and will have to get through training strongly on Thursday night to ensure his place.
"(He's a) massive chance," Solomon said.
"I had a really good conversation with him five minutes ago and he said "I'm feeling really confident".
"You back in his judgement. He's earnt a lot of trust over the years and knows his body better than all of us.
"He feels like he's in a really good spot. He feels he will get through training tonight.
"If he pulls up well tomorrow, green light."
Ablett's future has a cloud hanging over it, with the former skipper saying late last year he could ask for a trade back to Geelong or even retire at the end of this season, despite having a year to run on his contract.
Entering his third and final match in charge since taking over from sacked predecessor Rodney Eade, Solomon said he felt comfortable in the role.
Following last Saturday's loss to Essendon, the former Bombers hardman said the Suns had to learn to play "ugly" footy, saying that was the path to finals in the future.
Speaking on Thursday, Solomon said it wasn't a shot at Eade's gameplan at all.
"It's not about me, it's about what I believe, with the other coaches, is the right path for this group going forward," he said.
"What we've done is strip it back and make it really simple for the guys and really clear.
"That's not to say that the gameplan was wrong, we just made it really simple and clear."
With front-line ruckmen Jarrod Witts, Dan Currie and Tom Nicholls all injured, Solomon said Gold Coast would have to be creative in the midfield to curb the influence of Power star Paddy Ryder.
The Suns will likely use a combination of undersized Keegan Brooksby and tall forward Peter Wright to help out.
"Has anyone really dominated Paddy this year? Probably not," Solomon said.
"So, we have to look at our positioning at ground level and in particular Paddy's hit zones.
"Should we set up really aggressively thinking our ruckmen are going to dominate? No. We should respect the opposition and respect Paddy and look at his hit zones and as midfielders we need to structure up strongly."
