HIS NAME is on a locker at Alberton, his photo hangs in the boardroom and he was a member of the Power’s history-making premiership side, but on Saturday afternoon, Stuart Dew will line up against his former club for the first time.

Port Adelaide vice-captain Brendon Lade, who played alongside Dew throughout his 180-game career with the Power, said he was not yet accustomed to seeing his old teammate in the brown and gold.

“It’s been funny seeing him out there for Hawthorn in the No. 31,” Lade said.

“Obviously, we’ve never had the chance to play against Dewy before, so it will be good on Saturday. He knows all our strengths and weaknesses and we probably know his too, so it goes a bit both ways.”

Dew shocked the football world by walking away from the game at the end of 2006 and created an even bigger shock when he announced he would nominate for the NAB AFL Draft less than 12 months later.

Lade said Port Adelaide harboured no ill-feelings towards the former club favourite, but expected a bit of ‘chat’ from Dew in Launceston on Saturday.

“It would’ve been nice to see Dewy come back here [to Port Adelaide], but fairytales don’t always happen. I think Dewy is very happy there at Hawthorn and I can’t wait to play against him. I’m really looking forward to it,” Lade said.

“He was one of the best [at sledging] when he was at our club, so I assume he’s still the same. We’ve probably got a few guys, who are pretty good, and can probably fire straight back at him.

“Whatever is said out there normally stays out there, but we’ve got some ammunition against him and he’ll have some on us, so we’ll be looking forward to that.”

Lade said it was important the Power prevented Hawks, like Dew, from spotting up easy targets inside attacking 50m.

“Dewy is definitely getting back there [to the player he was]. He can still kick the ball 60-70m,” he said.

“We’ll try and put a lot of pressure on him and hopefully he doesn’t hit those targets, because if he does, it will make our defenders’ job pretty hard.”

Club stalwart Michael Wilson trained well in Wednesday’s main session, but could return from an eight-month injury lay-off with SANFL side the Port Adelaide Magpies.

Port Adelaide has beaten battlers West Coast, Essendon and also St Kilda in the past three weeks and Lade said this week’s clash with the unbeaten Hawks would be a better indication of where the eighth-placed Power are at.

“We’ve had three wins in-a-row and we’re starting to move along all right,” he said.

“We think we’re around the mark, but you never know until you play the best and Hawthorn is certainly one of the best at the moment.”

Hawthorn’s Port Adelaide connection doesn’t end with Dew. Senior coach Alistair Clarkson also spent time at Alberton, as did assistant coach Damien Hardwick and defenders Brent Guerra and Stephen Gilham.

Earlier in the week, Clarkson signed off on a new three-year deal with the Hawks, but Lade was hopeful his former coach would have no reason to celebrate on Saturday.

“It’s good for Clarko to sign on for another three years, but it’s a pity he didn’t get a bit of height with that contract too - he’s a small, little angry man,” Lade said with a laugh.

“Seriously, it’s great for him. He was around this club through our premiership year and he was great here.”