PORT Adelaide coach Matt Primus says forward Brett Ebert has been offered a new contract by the club and is a required player, despite his omission from the team to play Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday.
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Ebert was one of eight changes to the side that lost to Collingwood by a record 138 points last weekend.
It's the second time the 27-year-old has been dropped since breaking into the Power line-up in round four this season.
He had a slow start to pre-season training after having LARS surgery to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in round 21 last season, and missed most of the NAB Cup/Challenge with tonsillitis.
Primus conceded several players would be fighting for their futures in the remaining four rounds of the season, but said Ebert wasn't one of them.
"Brett's got a contract on the table and we want to have him here next year," Primus said on Friday.
"Brett's a victim a little bit of his own form, but he's also a victim of our inability to get the ball inside 50m and most of our forwards have dealt with that all year.
"Brett also only did one month of pre-season, so no matter how good you are you still have to battle with that.
"Put those things together and it's a bit of why Brett's been in and out of the team."
Ebert, Jason Davenport, Michael Pettigrew, Cam O'Shea and Daniel Stewart have all been omitted from the team that lost to the Magpies while Jasper Pittard (hamstring), Chad Cornes (retired) and Hamish Hartlett, who had a shoulder reconstruction earlier in the week, are also missing.
Port Adelaide has recalled key defenders Alipate Carlile and Troy Chaplin, midfielders Matt Thomas and David Rodan, forward Jay Schulz and forgotten utility Jacob Surjan.
Former first-round draft-pick John Butcher and impressive rookie Tom Jonas have also been included in the team, and will make their AFL debuts.
Primus denied the wholesale changes were a direct result of the disappointing loss to Collingwood.
"I know it looks like we've swung the axe, but we've got a couple of guys back in who are really important to our structure and our team," he said.
"We've also given a couple of the young fellas a go. Their form has been pretty good all year and we've wanted to try and get them into our team.
"After last Saturday night's performance, it was a good opportunity to do that."
Butcher was snaffled by the Power with pick No.8 in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft.
The strong-marking 20-year-old missed most of his first season at Alberton with stress fractures in his back, but has displayed solid form with the Port Magpies this year.
"Butch can compete, that's what we do know about him so we want to see him compete in the air and on the ground," Primus said.
"Hopefully, we can get the ball inside 50m to give him a decent opportunity to impact on the scoreboard.
"If he can [compete] he'll hold himself in good stead to play the last month with us."
Primus confirmed Port Adelaide was well advanced in its search for assistant coaches to help bolster its football department next season.
The Power will need to find a replacement for defensive coach Jason Cripps, who will assume the newly created role of list manager next year, while part-time midfield coach Dean Laidley is tipped to return to Melbourne.
Sacked Melbourne coach Dean Bailey and respected West Coast analyst Phil Walsh have both been linked to a return to the club they helped guide to a premiership in 2004, while Collingwood assistant Scott Watters has also been mentioned as a target.
"We've spoken to a lot of people over the last month," Primus said.
"We want to get the best people we can and make sure we've got enough coaches to make sure our playing group can develop as quickly as they can.
"Hopefully, by the end of our season we can start to put some names to our club."
Katrina Gill covers Port Adelaide news for afl.com.au. Follow her on Twitter: @AFL_KatrinaGill
