DAN HOUSTON will play his 50th AFL game when Port Adelaide faces St Kilda at Adelaide Arena at Jiangwan Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Houston has become one of the Power’s most reliable running defenders in recent years, and the 22-year-old wants to become a leader at the club.

“It’s been a long road to playing 50 games,” Houston told portadelaidefc.com.au ahead of his milestone match.

“Playing in defence - the boys have made it really easy for me to blend in and play my game down there, which has helped me get to this milestone.

“I want to become a leader and help out the younger players in the backline.”

Having played in Shanghai in the past two seasons, Houston says it is an advantage for his side as they are accustomed to the Chinese conditions.

“I think we feel a bit more comfortable with the surroundings and all the schedules,” he said.

“It helps take the load off the week, which is good.

“You don’t want to get complacent. You still want to play a strong game of footy on the weekend.”

The rebounding defender also touched on Port’s slow starts in recent weeks, and says it is a big focus for the playing group heading into this week and the rest of the year.

“The first 10 minutes of the first quarter has been a big focus for us this week,” Houston said.

“It will be for the rest of the year as well, until we can get it right.

“We need to make sure we turn up in the first 10 minutes and play with energy so we can play the rest of the game and not play catch-up.

“It’s about what we do on game day and making sure people are accountable to what they are doing in the first quarter.

“We just need to build that trust and that connection that we are all doing the same thing, and we are all in it together.”

In the lead up to Sunday’s clash, the Power players were invited to train at the new UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai.

It provided a high performance environment for training and included an in-built cryogenic chamber for recovery, which Houston says was an elite set-up.

“We got a tour of the facilities first up,” he said.

“We got to have a look at all the facilities - the gym, the recovery area, the kitchen, the games room.

“It was all first class, and it was an awesome experience to be the first people to look around and do a gym session here.”

The Power and the Saints meet on Sunday afternoon with the first bounce commencing at 1.50pm ACST.