PORT ADELAIDE simply has to win on the road to Gold Coast on Saturday - and for more than the obvious reason of staying in the crowded race for a top-four finish to the AFL home-and-away series.

Senior coach Ken Hinkley left Adelaide on Friday morning with 24 players - and a loaded agenda: Scoring four premiership points, building momentum to a top-four finish, honing an attacking-minded game that has been challenged by opposition tactics ... and honouring club hero Robbie Gray in his 250th AFL milestone game.

Hinkley underlined the importance of this round 14 clash by his tribute to Gray, who becomes the fifth Port Adelaide player to play 250 AFL games for the club.

"Robbie has been a star for our footy club," said Hinkley of the 2006 draftee who joins Kane Cornes (300 games), Travis Boak (294), Justin Westhoff (280) and Warren Tredrea (255) in the 250 Club.

"He has been a star for me personally. He has done everything you could ever ask of your great players. Rob has been one of those players who will go down as one of the absolute best at Port Adelaide ... I just hope he gets the team success he is craving."

From a long highlights reel of Gray's super moments, Hinkley is still reliving the after-the-siren goal from the boundary line at the Gabba that secured a win against Carlton last season.

"There's plenty, but it is hard to go past last year," Hinkley said. "In such a disruptive year (with the COVID pandemic), from such a hard position at the Gabba ground, with ice in the veins he went back and did what he does ...

"There are so many Robbie moments. We just love watching Robbie play."

Port Adelaide's travel party includes medical substitute Hamish Hartlett and emergency Martin Frederick. There also are two changes to the 22 which fell by 21 points to top-four rival Geelong at Adelaide Oval last week.

At selection for the match 22, Port Adelaide has preferred Jarrod Lienert to Riley Bonner as a versatile half-back. Lienert will play his 19th AFL match - and first since round 18 last season (a win against Collingwood).

As expected, lead ruckman Scott Lycett returns immediately after serving his four-match suspension from the AFL tribunal. He will work a two-ruck tandem with Peter Ladhams, who takes key forward Todd Marshall’s role inside-50 while the tall forward sits out because of the 12-day concussion protocols.

Hinkley is rewarding Lienert for "consistency of form".

"There is no doubt that 'Leno' has been in really strong form in the SANFL," Hinkley said. "His form has been clearly consistent at SANFL level. And Riley has not been able to get it done at the level we like.

"(Lycett and Ladhams as a tandem) will be very similar to what they have done before. We kept Pete in the side based on Todd going out, unfortunately. So it is pretty simple - I suspect it will be Scott doing more ruck than Pete, who has a few more weapons in the front half.

"It will be something like a 70-30 split (of ruck duties).

"The only bonus of the time out (for Lycett) is, he is fit. He is physically fit. He has been able to train a lot. He is in really good shape. He will be blowing a little bit early after a month without footy, but he is a pretty good athlete so we will be pretty comfortable that he will play a full game ... no worries."

Experienced defender Hamish Hartlett is among the emergencies and expected to be the medical substitute.

Hartlett is "mentally fresher" and "he will come on if we need him and do everything we could ask of him", added Hinkley. "He has great maturity and great flexibility too."

Port Adelaide (8-4, fifth) is expected to collect another bottom-10 scalp, but perhaps not much kudos for its work while the pundits look for results against finals contenders.

For Hinkley there is much to see in a game that allows Port Adelaide to rediscover some of its early season patterns of play, particularly in transition from defence to attack.

"We have been building our form a little bit better and building a game style we know we are more capable of," Hinkley said. "We are looking for those improvements as much as anything.

"We know the game is going to be tough. We know the Gold Coast (4-8, 15th) has come off a pretty disappointing loss (to Fremantle by 27 points) and we have listened to the narrative coming from their footy club this week. They are ready to go, so it is going to be a big game and they are hard to beat up there at any time - anywhere, but up there they are particularly hard. 

"So we have to concentrate on our style of football, the way we know is successful. We have to play the way we know we should."

Port Adelaide's crisp movement from defence to attack has not unfolded as easily as in the first month of the home-and-away series.

"The game always tightens up a bit as the season progresses," Hinkley said. "Rounds 1-4, you can always see a lot more open-field play. Last week we showed some moments, but you don't get as many opportunities at this time of the year.

"We are not quite as sharp as we were in that space. We have some people (midfielders Zak Butters, Xavier Duursma and Tom Rockliff) who have not been part of the team for a period of time and play a significant role in that space, so we are a work in progress in lots of our game.

"There is plenty of time," added Hinkley of the challenge of building momentum to the top-eight final series in September. "We know we are not quite up the top or at our best, but we know we are capable of being up there with the best. We have to continue to improve - and if we do that, we will get there."

Port Adelaide's Round 14 clash with Gold Coast begins at 1.15pm SA time tomorrow afternoon.