PORT ADELAIDE SANFL coach Matthew Lokan says his side is itching for the season to start next week with the opening-round blockbuster against arch-rival Norwood on Easter Thursday.

Port Adelaide has not featured in a SANFL game since the 2019 Grand Final because the club was prevented from participating last season due to the AFL’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Lokan’s side has so far suffered losses to Adelaide and Sturt, and enjoyed a win over South Adelaide in its pre-season trial games, and it will again face the Crows on Friday evening in a final tune-up.

Regardless of the results, the coach has seen some good signs from his young and inexperienced group.

“I don’t take too much from trial matches, I think both sides are changing players and trying different things,” he explained on SANFL radio.

“It’s just a good opportunity for our guys to get out there and play. We haven’t had a lot of time together and a lot of our second-year guys didn’t play at all last year so we’re just looking to get some continuity and some development and make sure we’re ready for Round 1.”

Port Adelaide has brought in a number of new faces to its SANFL contracted list including Jake Westbrook, Jake Weidemann (both Woodville-West Torrens), Dylan Aldridge (North Adelaide), Luke Surman (Norwood), Campbell Wildman (Sturt), Ethan Moore and Aryan Sareen (both West Adelaide)

Former Norwood skipper Jace Bode is another to join the club after coming out of retirement.

Lokan has also brought in former Port Adelaide AFL player and Norwood coach Jarrod Cotton.

“They’re two guys with a lot of experience at SANFL level who have been really good for our SANFL program,” Lokan said of Cotton and Bode’s arrival.

“Jarrod’s certainly been helping me with the contracted guys. With the reduction of staff at our club we certainly needed some support in that area and Jarrod has been great at passing on his experience to our contracted guys.

“Jace has come on board as part of our contracted list. He wanted to be a part of our program and he has been a big inclusion for us.”

Another big inclusion is the return of experienced midfielder Cam Sutcliffe as the club’s leadership player.

Sutcliffe first captained the club in 2019 before being rookie-listed by the AFL side in 2020.

His delisting at the end of last season paved the way for him to return to the iconic number 1 guernsey in the prison bars, and Lokan said the former Fremantle Docker would play an important role in 2021.

“Cam’s character speaks for itself. He’s a fantastic guy who leads our program really well,” the coach said.

“Cam’s a fantastic leader of our football club and we expect a really big year from him.

“He’ll go between midfield and the forward line. He’s spent a lot of time in the midfield in the trial games so far.”

With one final hit-out before next Thursday’s huge Round 1 encounter with the Redlegs at Norwood, Port Adelaide will be hoping to finish off the pre-season with a win over the Crows.

Lokan said the club would start the season with an eye on going better than 2019 and rewarding the members who had backed the club during its absence from the SANFL competition last year.

“Obviously last year was a really difficult year for everyone and certainly for us, not being able to play in the SANFL was disappointing but 2021 is a new year and we’re really excited to get the season started,” Lokan said.

“Credit to our supporters who were fantastic in a very trying year.

“Our last game in the SANFL was back in the Grand Final in 2019 so we’re very much looking forward to getting the season underway against Norwood and it’s coming around really quickly.”

Friday evening’s trial game against Adelaide at Alberton Oval will get underway at 5pm.