PORT ADELAIDE coach Ken Hinkley has confirmed there’ll be three changes to his line-up for Friday night’s must-win game against Essendon, with Tom Rockliff one of the outs. 

Rockliff’s first season with the Power is over with a shoulder injury which requires surgery ruling him out of the clash at Adelaide Oval. 

It’s the same shoulder he had operated on at the end of last season when he was still with Brisbane.

Ruckman Billy Frampton is set to make his AFL debut after waiting until his fourth season on the Power’s list. 

Hinkley said the 21-year-old would share ruck duties with Paddy Ryder, after being touted as a replacement for the All-Australian during the season while he battled Achilles and hip flexor injuries. 

"We've wanted Billy to build his season and be in the position to compete at AFL level and this is going to be a real challenge for Bill, but one we're excited by," Hinkley said at a press conference on Friday. 

"Essendon have got (Tom) Bellchambers out, too, that probably helps Billy a little bit, he's going to come up against not a game-to-game ruckman. 

"Albeit that will probably be a (Matthew) Leuenberger-type ruckman, so he's still going to be high quality." 

Riley Bonner and Aidyn Johnson have been omitted while Sam Powell-Pepper and Jake Neade have been recalled in their place. 

Port Adelaide needs to win against the Bombers to be any hope of playing finals. 

It also needs Geelong to lose to the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday to sneak into the top eight. 

Hinkley said the Power rated the Bombers highly and expected a fiery contest on Friday night. 

"We can't control anything but what we have, and we've just got to perform at a level that gives us the chance to win the game tomorrow night," Hinkley said. 

"We understand the side we're coming up against. 

“Their season is done, but they've probably been the in-form team of the competition, so it's going to be an enormous challenge for us."

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