PORT Adelaide veteran Dean Brogan says the club should look to recruit a ready-made ruckman to bolster its big-man stocks next season.

Brogan has played a lone hand in the ruck for the Power since the retirement of All Australian ruckman Brendon Lade at the end of 2009.

Utilities Jackson Trengove, Justin Westhoff and Daniel Stewart have provided relief for Brogan in the ruck at different times this year, but attention has turned to who will assume the role full-time if the 32-year-old decides to retire at the end of the season.

Former first-round draft pick Matthew Lobbe has been earmarked to take over from Brogan, but a shoulder injury has limited the 22-year-old to only a handful of games in the SANFL this season.

Developing ruckman Jarrad Redden, who received an opportunity during the pre-season competition, has also struggled with injury in his third year on the list.

Rookie-listed talls Daniel Bass, Daniel Webb and Mitch Curnow are considered long-term prospects.

Brogan hasn't ruled out playing on next season, but a nagging Achilles complaint has put a question mark over his ability to shoulder the majority of the ruck duties for another 12 months.

The Power unsuccessfully made a play for Melbourne ruckman Mark Jamar in 2009, but didn't show much interest in Adelaide recruit Sam Jacobs when he flagged his intentions to leave Carlton and return to South Australia at the end of last season.

Brogan said it was time the club considered bringing in an established ruckman to help fill the void, until players like Lobbe and Redden were ready.

"It's pretty obvious we need to get some ruckmen in," he said on Wednesday.

"Our younger guys haven't come along as quickly as we'd hoped.

"I'm not sure where I stand personally next year...but I'm not getting any younger and our younger guys really need to start to step up.

"There's probably going to be an opportunity to grab someone from another club, who hopefully wants to come home."

Brogan, who has managed his injury to play eight of a possible nine games this season, denied the shortage of ready-made ruckmen would be a problem in the short-term, but said it was important the club addressed the issue as part of its rebuilding process.

"I haven't looked too far ahead as to what's happening next year," he said.

"You want to play on forever, but there will come that time and we all know what direction the club is heading in.

"They're going with youth and it's all about the future. Whether I'm part of that, it is for me and the club to sit down and have a chat about over the next couple of weeks."

Port Adelaide won five of its last six games under then-interim coach Matthew Primus last season to finish in 10th place on the AFL ladder, but the club has experienced a steep fall this season, having won only one game to currently sit in last place.

Primus has taken a long-term view to selection, aiming to rebuild the club with youth.

Brogan denied the process had to be a long one, using West Coast as an example of a team that had turned its fortunes around quickly.

"West Coast were wooden-spooners last year, but now people are talking them up as finishing in the top four, maybe," he said.

"We strive to be like that and we can be like that. We know where we're heading as a club. We're getting there. It's just taking a lot longer than we thought."

Katrina Gill covers Port Adelaide news for afl.com.au. Follow her on Twitter: @AFL_KatrinaGill