PORT Adelaide coach Mark Williams has insisted he will coach the Power beyond this season, as long as the club wants him.

Williams was responding to ongoing speculation about his future.

The Power have missed the finals just three times in Williams’ 10-year reign, including last season’s disappointing 13th-place finish.

The premiership coach is out of contract at season’s end and, on Wednesday, was forced to defend claims he won’t be at Port Adelaide beyond 2009.

“If you go back through your files, you’ll read and hear what I’ve said about 50 times and I can say it again,” Williams said.

“I intend to coach Port Adelaide next year and for the ongoing years, but that will be up to the club.”

Williams also rejected suggestions that the Power’s choice of captain - Dom Cassisi - was a sign that he wouldn’t remain in the top job at Alberton next season.

On Monday, Williams conceded that he initially thought Warren Tredrea’s replacement would come from either Shaun Burgoyne or Chad Cornes.

But, after an exhaustive process, he said he fully-supported the club’s decision to go with the lower-profile, but highly respected Cassisi.

“As I said on Monday, the captaincy thing [when I thought it would be Shaun and Chad] was six months before the decision [to appoint Cassisi] was made,” he said.

“When they edit it [what I said] in the paper and cut it off in the news, it makes sense, but the fact is that I fully agree with Dom being captain.”

Port Adelaide dropped its opening four games last season and never fully recovered, causing the club to call off its finals aspirations off after round 13.

But Williams denied there was any added pressure on the Power, who play Essendon, West Coast and Melbourne in the opening three rounds, to win early games this year.

“We’d love to win some early games and it makes the journey a lot easier on a Monday morning, but whatever happens, happens,” he said.

“It’s a long season and you probably have to win 12 or 13 to get in the eight, which would be a big increase on where we were last year.”