PORT Adelaide hopes the return of Patrick Ryder against the Sydney Swans in round 14 could ignite the club for the second half of the season.

The Power enter their bye this weekend with its 2015 campaign balancing on a knife-edge, sitting 12th on the ladder at 5-7.

Ryder has missed the past four games with an Achilles injury, but has been building his training load and will take on the Swans next week.

Speaking to Adelaide radio station FIVEaa, Power coach Ken Hinkley confirmed the star ruckman would return to the senior line-up.

"Paddy's expected to play the next game, and that's exciting for us," Hinkley said.

"Sometimes you just want a bit of excitement to come into the team when things are not going the way you want, and Paddy might be one of the little things that starts to trigger up a bit of excitement."

Injury has robbed Port of the opportunity to see the best out of its newly-formed ruck combination of Ryder and Matthew Lobbe.

Lobbe missed the opening three weeks of the competition with a quad issue before Ryder's Achilles injury flared.

Add Justin Westhoff to the mix, and the Power has a potentially elite trio of big men.

Pointing to Geelong's acquisition of Richmond ruckman Brad Ottens ahead of the 2005 season, Hinkley guaranteed the recruitment of Ryder would eventually pay dividends.

Like the Ottens trade, though, Hinkley said Ryder's assimilation to Port Adelaide wouldn't happen immediately.

Hinkley was an assistant at Geelong when the club signed Ottens, and although his 2005 season was mediocre, he'd go on to play a crucial role in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 premierships.

"Absolutely it's going to work – give us some time," Hinkley said.

"You have to talk about what you know and what you've been through, and in my case I've been through the Geelong system, I've been through the Brad Ottens trade.

"First year it wasn't as great as it looked on paper, (but it) turned out pretty good."