INJURIES have hit West Coast as hard as any side this season but Port Adelaide can't afford to take chances against a struggling opponent, coach Ken Hinkley says.
Eagles counterpart Adam Simpson joked his club's injury crisis ran so deep he'd have to select untried academy prospects for Saturday's Adelaide Oval clash.
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The dire situation comes with senior core Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo, Nic Naitanui, Shannon Hurn and Jamie Cripps headlining the list of unavailable players.
Simpson had "around 24" to pick from this week as West Coast attempts to bounce back from three straight defeats, which have come by an average margin of 50 points.
Port Adelaide (3-2) is back on a positive ledger in its pursuit of a finals berth after impressive wins over Sydney and the Western Bulldogs, but won't be lulled into a false sense of security.
"We come out to play as best we can play every week," Hinkley told reporters on Friday.
"I know some people can sit there and make some assessments ... but I'm not going to take a chance and we as a footy club won't take a chance.
"We respect West Coast, we know what Adam's doing there and we know they've had some injuries.
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"We appreciate that we've got an opportunity to play at home in a round (Anzac Appeal Round) that's really important to us and we need to play the right way."
The Power made a bold call at selection, dropping former Eagles ruckman Scott Lycett in favour of Brynn Teakle.
Captain Tom Jonas (knee soreness) is back after a week off but experienced key forward Charlie Dixon (jarred knee) is unavailable and has been replaced by debutant Ollie Lord.
The 21-year-old, 195cm prospect has been called up ahead of Mitch Georgiades just three months after sustaining a lacerated kidney in a training mishap.
Lord was rated one of the best key forwards in the 2020 draft class but spent time in defence at SANFL level last year.
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"He's had a pretty remarkable turnaround from his injury this year which was pretty significant," Hinkley said.
"He's back and playing really well and kicked four (goals) last week and he deserves his opportunity.
"The good thing about Ol is you know what he brings. He's quite combative and he's replacing a very combative player for us.
"That will be like-for-like, not necessarily with the same experience levels as Charlie and the size, because Ollie's still physically developing as well, but he brings an intensity that we really like.
"That's what we're looking for as much as anything."
West Coast captain Luke Shuey returns after missing two matches with a hamstring injury, while Power small forward Junior Rioli will play his first competitive match against the Eagles since leaving the club last year.
