PORT Adelaide coach Mark Williams says he's already pencilled Matthew Lobbe's name in next to the vacant ruck position for next season.

Lobbe, 20, joined the club with its first-round selection (No.16 overall) in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft, but has only just started to find his feet at Alberton.

The untried Victorian was languishing in the Port Magpies reserves partway through last season before a switch to rival club West Adelaide gave him the confidence boost he needed.

He finished the year as lead ruckman for the Bloods' league side and has carried his good form into pre-season training.

Last week, Lobbe's ground-ball contest with premiership ruckman Dean Brogan earned rapturous applause from the coach.

Williams said Lobbe was ready to stand up as Brogan's right-hand man, given the vacancy created by the retired Brendon Lade.

"Right now, Matthew Lobbe will be taking the second ruck spot and he’ll get the opportunity to do that," Williams said.

"One of the things (assistant coach) Matty Primus has to work on is getting the development of our ruck stocks right up. That means that both Westhoff brothers and Jackson Trengove will be rucking.

"We've also got Cameron Cloke, Jarrad Redden and Daniel Stewart in the background.

"We're going to have a lot of versatility in the ruck. No one will know exactly what we're doing and right now I don't know either."

Williams was more certain about the role Cloke would play at the club over the next two months.

The ex-Blue and Magpie, 25, was recruited in last week's NAB AFL Rookie Draft as insurance for the Power's inexperienced ruck group.

A serious knee injury to midfielder David Rodan could open the door for Port Adelaide to promote a rookie to the senior list, but Williams said that wasn't a viable option at this stage.

"Cameron is coming back from a shoulder reconstruction, so he'll probably be ready to play round one but he'll need to get a bit of match practice in," Williams said.

"The injury takes all the pressure off him, so he can work in with the group.

"We'll wait and see how David progresses. He was back at the club this morning walking around without crutches or anything. It's just amazing the difference both in his physical and mental well-being.

"He's thinking, 'Gee, this reconstruction's a lot better than the other one was'."

Forward Robbie Gray seems likely to take Rodan's spot for the opening rounds of next season.

Gray, 21, missed just two games this year after an injury-plagued start to his career and Williams identified him as the most impressive performer of the pre-season so far.

"Robbie Gray is probably the one player that has showed the most," he said.

"His fitness levels have really stepped up and I wouldn't be surprised if he spends a lot more time in the midfield next year."