DUMPED veteran Justin Westhoff still has a role to play for Port Adelaide this year despite losing his spot for Saturday night's showdown with St Kilda, coach Ken Hinkley says.

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Westhoff kicked multiple goals in three straight games earlier in the season but managed just a combined 19 disposals across the past three games.

Hinkley hasn't been afraid to demote senior regulars this season, with Tom Rockliff and Riley Bonner also previously dropped.

Bonner returns for the Saints game, along with Brad Ebert – back from suspension – and exciting forward Mitch Georgiades, at the expense of Westhoff and injured pair Ryan Burton (quad) and Steven Motlop (ankle).

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However, Rockliff misses out for the third week in a row.

"Westy's form hasn't been as good as we'd like it to be," Hinkley said.

"He'll come back, he'll bounce back and we've got a challenging period coming up (with the compressed fixture), so he'll play a part in that, no doubt.

"Westy knows his game is as a true utility, so wherever we need him, we need him to play that role better and at the moment, it's as a forward-ruckman.

"He hasn't been able to influence the game in those two areas, and we think we'll look at some other options."

The Power are back at Adelaide Oval for the first time since round two and will face off with some familiar faces, with former players Dougal Howard and Paddy Ryder playing for St Kilda.

The Saints ended a 10-match losing run at that venue on Monday night, outlasting the Crows by 23 points.

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"We're confident. We've been able to play good footy so far for six of the seven games and we've got belief in the way we play," Hinkley said.

"We know how good St Kilda are. We were able to see them early this week on Monday, so it's a good chance to see where we are at.

"The competition has thrown up so many different things and, for us, this week being home is a bit unusual, so it'll be interesting to see how we handle that."