PORT Adelaide will enter Friday night's Showdown with a significantly improved defensive game that has the ability to freeze out Adelaide's star forwards if the Power's run of form continues.  

Josh Carr's team has quietly built a defensive structure this season that ranks No.1 in the entire competition for restricting opposition ball-movement and No.3 for opposition marks inside 50 across the past month. 

The Power have clearly recovered from a rocky start to the season that included losses to North Melbourne and West Coast, with their form-line setting up a highly anticipated Showdown against an Adelaide team that has faced challenges when moving the ball from its defensive half this season. 

Carr set a clear benchmark for his team during the pre-season and emphasised that defensive standards are where it starts for premiership-winning teams. 

He acknowledged that the Power hadn't been a strong team with its structure behind the ball and contest work, having played a role in that himself as an assistant to Ken Hinkley. 

But the changes he has made since assuming the top job have been significant, with the Power also ranking top four across the past month for points against (70.8), points from turnovers against (40.3) and time in forward half differential (+8:30). 

OPPOSITION INSIDE 50s - Rounds 4-7

Port has protected its backline by limiting opposition inside 50s, but it has also been well served by tall defender Aliir Aliir, who is ranked No.3 in the AFL for intercept possessions (59) and No.2 for intercept marks (25), with St Kilda's Callum Wilkie leading both categories this season. 

Carr recently spoke about the growing confidence his players had in their roles and positioning in the team's defensive system after conceding their only 100-point score to North Melbourne in round one. 

"Early on, there's a lot of players probably questioning and making sure 'am I in the right position? Am I not in the right position?'," Carr said before the Anzac Day win against Geelong. 

"I think it's becoming more natural in the way that we're playing, and they're feeling more comfortable in the way that we play.” 

 OPPOSITION D50 to F50 – Rounds 4-7

The off-field changes beyond Carr have also been significant at Port Adelaide, with six new assistant coaches joining his panel this season, including director of coaching Andy Collins, senior assistant and midfield coach Stuart Dew, forwards coach Darren Reeves, and backline coach Luke Webster. 

Webster who played alongside Carr at Fremantle and spent 11 seasons as an assistant with West Coast, has made a clear impact with the Power's defensive structure and impressed early on with his ability to communicate the new style with players. 

OPPOSITION D50 TO SCORE - Rounds 4-7 

The next step for the Power is to finish off their work, with the team ranked in bottom six over the past month for points for (84.5), shot at goal accuracy (42.5 per cent) and goals per inside 50 (23.0 per cent). 

Star trio Zak Butters (2.6 for the season), Mitch Georgiades (18.15) and Jason Horne-Francis (11.8) have all missed opportunities but can clearly be backed to play big roles in the Power's offensive improvement. 

It's a testing three weeks ahead for the Power, with the Showdown followed by clashes against the Western Bulldogs (Adelaide Oval) and Gold Coast (TIO Stadium) in three consecutive Friday night games. 

Carr is building a style of football he believes will eventually hold up in September, and the run of games in the marquee slot will shed more light on how the team is progressing. An impressive month, however, should generate plenty of confidence in the direction Carr is taking.