Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas has played in 14 Showdowns - and knows they are games like no other. But the derby still demands the same preparation from Monday's team review at Alberton where Port Adelaide is overloaded with questions from a 0-2 start to the home-and-away season.

Jonas returned to Adelaide Oval on Monday morning - for the traditional captain's launch for Showdown LI, the first Friday night derby for AFL premiership points - aware Port Adelaide has much work to do at Alberton after a damaging 64-point loss to Hawthorn on Saturday night.

"We certainly have things to work on," said Jonas before adding his insights to the team review at Alberton.

And there is a sting from that unexpected Hawthorn loss that will follow every Port Adelaide player to the opening bounce of the 51st Showdown on Friday night.

"It should burn with our players," Jonas said on Monday. "And it will drive us to be better."

Despite dominating every key performance indicator - including the usual Port Adelaide barometer of contested ball - the scoreboard told the story of a team that failed to capitalise on its forward plays and leaked heavily on the exits from the forward half.

"Our skills were not at the expected level," concluded Jonas of a team that repeatedly shot itself in the foot. "We won centre bounce - but we did not maximise those. Our defence was not where we expected it to be. We did not capitalise .... there were good opportunities to move the ball and we let ourselves down by hand and foot.

"There is going to be plenty to reflect on."

And there is a Showdown to play at 7.50pm on Friday night after a week of tough external reviews that will reshape opinions on Port Adelaide's prospects to September ... even if the 0-2 starts in 2002 and 2003 prove a season does not need to be sunk by losses in the opening two rounds.

Perhaps the Showdown - of which Port Adelaide has won the past four - does come at the right time to spark the start for a significant winning run to repeat 2002 and 2003.

"You would expect it to be very fiery, aggressive, tense; it is always an enormous game," said Jonas who has an 8-6 winning record from the derby.

"And you know a Showdown can go either way. But we have a lot to play for, so we are going to play desperate football.

"Every Showdown has a pretty similar feel," added Jonas of a derby that is often built on being a game that ignores form and premiership rankings of which winless Adelaide is 15th and Port Adelaide 18th today. "We are pretty desperate - and I am pretty confident they are as well. With both teams at 0-2 there is a lot at stake.

"How good is it that (the Showdown finally) is on a Friday night. Now, let's do it justice.

"We are keen to make amends. Showdowns are enormous ... but we want to (perform) in the next game. It turns out to be a Showdown and there is a lot of pride at stake. But at 0-2 we are keen to respond in our next game."  

Port Adelaide has scored 17.23 in its opening two games with just one of those goals from key forwards Todd Marshall and Greater Western Sydney recruit Jeremy Finlayson. The need for the All-Australian Charlie Dixon to return to the goalfront - after recuperating from ankle surgery - seems more and more pressing on the match committee at Alberton.

"As a team we have to shoulder the responsibility for not giving (the forwards) the service that would make their job a hell of a lot easier," Jonas said. "As for the individuals (in particular Marshall and Finlayson) our expectation is for them to compete and bring the ball to ground. If they kick a couple of goals, that is a bonus. It is about their work rate and how they compete and contest in the air. It is not always going to be Todd or Jeremy kicking five goals - it is up to the team to share the load."

But there is no sure note of Dixon, who has not played a competitive game so far this season, nor Showdown specialist Robbie Gray returning to the much-analysed Port Adelaide attack for the derby.

Jonas noted Dixon must prove he can "play four quarters, not 30 minutes". Gray is listed as "assess" after missing the Hawthorn clash to recover from a knock to a knee suffered against Brisbane at the Gabba in the season-opener.

"It certainly is not a matter of just putting Charlie in ... as much as we would like to think it is," Jonas said. "It would be unfair on him.

"We always talk about this being a team game - and sharing the load. That is exactly the case. It is about giving our forwards an opportunity through quality, fast ball movement. It is about locking the ball in the forward half to generate repeat entries.

"It is about getting Charlie fit - and ready to go. It is not about rolling him out when he is not ready."

Dixon's absence - and the pressure on the new-look, young Port Adelaide attack - is as notable as the loss of All-Australian defender Aliir Aliir (ankle) while Jonas works a defence that also is without Tom Clurey (knee) and has lost Trent McKenzie (knee against Brisbane and ankle against Hawthorn) during the past two matches. Aliir's absence - with Port Adelaide unable to find a way to replicate his opposition roadblocks by intercept marks - certainly was noted by new Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.

"It always is a challenge when you are without a high quality player," Jonas said. "But we have invested a lot of time and trust in others. We have shown in previous seasons that the 'squad mentality' works for us.

"Sometimes things do not go to plan. But we pride ourselves on playing a team game rather than relying on individuals."

The pundits who will revise their forecasts on Port Adelaide might not be convinced by a win in a Showdown, particularly when Adelaide also is winless. But Jonas does not see a spent force at Alberton.

"People say a lot of things," Jonas said. "And they will say some different things this week, I am sure. But we have 24 months of hard work into this group. The connection space, the skills, the game plan ... we remain confident.

"Right now, we have to focus on what is not right - and get back to playing good footy."

Port Adelaide fans made their despair known on Saturday night when the club dedicated the home opener to the memory of legend Russell Ebert. The frustration from the supporter base is no different to the angst inside the team group.

"We know we have disappointed a lot of Port Adelaide supporters on what was a really important night for the club," Jonas said.

"We have high expectation," Jonas added. "And there is high expectation that we play a style of football they (the supporters) can be proud of. Saturday night we didn't. So I am sure the fans are frustrated when it was such a significant game for the club.

"Our performance was not acceptable."