IT WAS less than two years ago that Port Adelaide staged one of the biggest turnarounds in history, defeating St Kilda at Aurora Stadium the week after losing to West Coast by 117 points.

This week, the roles will be reversed as Port Adelaide heads into Saturday’s game a heavy favourite against a Richmond outfit that endured a record 157-point flogging at the hands of Geelong.

While Richmond’s odds of replicating the Power’s comeback are slim, Port Adelaide will not drop back a gear. After all, the pressure for selection at Alberton is intense with Brad Symes, Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Justin Westhoff all waiting for their chance.

The record shows it’s second on the ladder versus last and the AAMI Stadium scoreboard will reflect this on Saturday.

Ruckman Dean Brogan has been named to compound Richmond’s rucking injury woes, while Troy Chaplin will miss at least a week with a foot complaint.

Port Adelaide’s recent form: beat Melbourne by five points, beat St Kilda by 53, beat Collingwood by 18, lost to Adelaide by 24 and beat the Kangaroos by 18.

Recent results against Richmond:
Round 14, 2006, Richmond 14.8 (92) d Port Adelaide 6.18 (54), AAMI
Round 17, 2005, Port Adelaide 14.12 (96) d Richmond 12.11 (83), AAMI
Round 9, 2004, Port Adelaide 19.14 (128) d Richmond 7.8 (50), AAMI
Round 21, 2003, Port Adelaide 18.16 (124) d Richmond 16.18 (104), TD
Round 6, 2003, Port Adelaide 12.12 (84) d Richmond 8.9 (57), AAMI

Strengths: Looking at both sides, it’s hard to see where the Power can be beaten. But by far Port Adelaide’s biggest strength is its ruck department. Richmond will be without talented ruckman Troy Simmonds, who will join fellow big men Ray Hall and Trent Knobel on the sidelines. The Power, on the other hand, will welcome back Dean Brogan to work in tandem with Brendon Lade and further stretch the Tigers defence. Lade was beaten last week by Melbourne’s Jeff White, but will be far too good for the versatile Graham Polak and full-forward Matthew Richardson.

Potential weaknesses: Last week, Mark Williams used Port Adelaide’s dismal record against Melbourne at the MCG for motivation. The Power have only lost to Richmond four times since joining the competition and the winless Tigers are coming off their biggest loss in club history. It’s hard to see how ‘Choco’ can play down the Power’s overwhelming favouritism this week. Port Adelaide only just got over the line against Melbourne on Sunday after an emotionally and physically taxing month of footy. Rejuvenated with a good week on the track, the Power will be looking for a better performance in front of their home crowd on Saturday.

They’re sweating on: The midfield’s ability to fire without Shaun Burgoyne. Rugged defender Jacob Surjan said after the Melbourne game that Burgoyne had become a barometer for the club. Power supporters will be hoping this is not the case as Shaun learns to cope with the heavy attention he is receiving from opposition taggers. The All-Australian was unusually quiet last week, well held to just nine touches by Demon Simon Godfrey.

Things don’t get much easier for Burgoyne, who will no doubt be worn closely by Richmond captain Kane Johnson on Saturday. Johnson was best on ground for the Tigers when the two sides last met after restricting Burgoyne to a season-low three possessions. The Power who will again be without ball-magnet Steve Salopek and possibly also Kane Cornes, will rely heavily on Peter Burgoyne, Danyle Pearce and David Rodan to share the midfield load.

Danger men: Chad Cornes: You couldn’t help but admire Chad’s passion when he stormed back to the Power huddle late in the last quarter against Melbourne after seeing brother Kane taken off the ground on a stretcher. It’s that spirit and tenacity that makes the versatile utility invaluable to this Port Adelaide line-up. The older Cornes brother is considered one of the Brownlow favourites and if Chad can maintain his form, he could become the first Port Adelaide player to win the medal. The Power’s No. 35 is among the leading possession winners in the AFL and the Tigers will struggle to contain Cornes’ match-winning ability.

David Rodan: The former Tiger can’t believe his luck. Rodan, who was delisted by Richmond last season, has established himself as a regular in the second-placed Port Adelaide line-up. The easy-going on-baller holds no animosity towards his old club but will be determined to make Richmond regret the decision to let him go, regardless. Rodan has played all six games this season, averaging 17 possessions and a goal a game.

Danyle Pearce: The 2006 NAB AFL Rising Star made a stunning return to football last week following a four-week layoff with injury. Pearce set the midfield alight with 16 touches, four marks and an important three goals against Melbourne. Also telling were his three inside 50s and two clearances. Pearce will be hungry for more footy and expect the dashing on-baller to burn the young Tiger midfielders with his blistering pace.

It’s not generally known: Kane Cornes is ranked sixth in the AFL for total possessions this season with 159.