ORAZIO Fantasia has not played an AFL game since last year's preliminary final.

All-Australian key forward Charlie Dixon has spent more time - in his comeback from ankle surgery - as a ruckman.

And, not surprisingly, Port Adelaide's average score has fallen to 77 points from an 84-point average last season.

Also not surprising is Port Adelaide forwards coach Nathan Bassett wanting to load up his attack at Adelaide Oval against Geelong on Saturday - a move that would require some gambles at selection.

Mid-season rookie draftee Brynn Teakle is available for selection after recovering from the broken collarbone suffered in his AFL debut match against Sydney on June 18. His return would release Dixon to spearhead the Port Adelaide attack.

Fantasia, who was a medical substitute not taking the field against North Melbourne on May 14, has overcome the quad issues that emerged in his comeback from knee surgery.

"You don't take a Ferrari off road, do you?" said Bassett on the temptation to bypass the SANFL to restore Fantasia in the AFL line-up. "We think he is a good chance to play a full game ... there is a risk-reward (question). The risk is significant. And it is how big the reward? 

"I would like us to kick more goals. Like is an understatement.

"And that is why we would look at putting stronger targets in our front half. We have adjusted at different times the way we chase efficiency this year - and we have taken more marks inside-50 than any other team since round seven. So we do lower our eyes and hit targets ... but we also lower our eyes and miss targets and maybe at times don't hit the top of the goalsquare.

"We are trying to grow our game. Two years ago we were chasing efficiency because we got it in there and did not score. We are still chasing that. We have made some adjustments. Some are to help longer term. And it is taking a little longer than we’d hope ... we want to win now; we want to score more now. They are the challenges we can not answer well against teams like Melbourne and a team like Geelong that will offer similar challenges this week."

Port Adelaide will play Geelong nine weeks after a 35-point loss at Kardinia Park where scoring was a challenge - the 7.5 (47) being the team's second lowest score of the season. The attack that day was minus Charlie Dixon.

"We need a few more good reasons to go forward with the ball," Bassett said. "It was not our most-experienced forward line on the weekend (against Melbourne at Alice Springs). 

"More goalscoring talent in there certainly helps us. Last year, we were taking into a final (against Geelong at Adelaide Oval) Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Orazio Fantasia and Steven Motlop - all with good awareness of where the goals are. We have not quite got that blend at the moment.

"Sam (Powell-Pepper) has had an excellent season. If we could get Orazio playing ... And Lachie Jones (clear of his hamstring strain), we could get some threats in front of the ball - not just scoring, but ball-winning as well."

Port Adelaide's selection whiteboard could gain five players this week - Fantasia, Jones, Teakle, North Melbourne recruit Trent Dumont and first-round draftee Josh Sinn.

Teakle continues to tempt the Port Adelaide match committee, particularly for the chance to restore Dixon as a permanent forward.

"Brynn has great athleticism," Bassett said. "And we could use Charlie in the forward line to give us more confidence to attack the goalsquare more.

"Charlie kicked 48 goals last year and took 75 contested marks. You lose someone who is a strong marking target and someone who brings the ball to ground consistently (by playing Dixon in ruck). He gives us a strong aerial presence where Todd Marshall, Jeremy Finlayson and Mitch Georgiades are lead-up forwards. 

"We have kicked the fewest goals in the competition from inside 15 metres ... 

"The reality is we can't have Charlie in both spots - we have to decide what is best for the team this week and also what is best for us moving forward."

Port Adelaide enters the last five weeks of the home-and-away series with the need to find at least four more wins - and a significant boost in percentage - to advance to its third consecutive top-eight final series.

Currently at 8-9 with 106.9 percentage, 11th-ranked Port Adelaide is one win and eight percentage points behind eighth-ranked Richmond. The round 21 clash with Richmond - at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, August 6 - stands as the most decisive game in the run to September, provided Port Adelaide wins at least one of the next two matches against Geelong and Collingwood (MCG, Saturday, July 30).

"It has been pretty serious (for us) since round three," Bassett said of the tightrope walk at Alberton. "We need to focus on what we need to do and know we have to keep winning to keep the season alive."

The question of Port Adelaide's change in fortunes from a top-four contender in 2020 and last year to falling out of the top eight is answered by Bassett saying: "We had a very average start (0-5) .... and that is being generous. The past 12 weeks we have shown some good improvement and had good improvement from younger players which we need. We need them going forward to be our best players. And you could say they are close to our better players - Connor Rozee has had an outstanding season since he has gone in the midfield. 

"We need those guys to get better. Todd Marshall is our leading goalkicker. And he is in the top dozen goalkickers in the competition. He has shown a big improvement. 

"We need more from more. There is some real positivity around our season and what we get out of it. But we are a couple of goals off where we were. And we have lost five games by less than two goals. We won those close games last year. We have not won them this year."

Bassett remains the linkman from Alberton to senior coach Ken Hinkley who remains in isolation since entering the health and safety protocols last Thursday. His return to the club is expected on Friday.

"I have had a couple of chats with Ken (on Tuesday morning)," Bassett said. "We will manage the team review today and Ken will be Zoomed in on all our meetings."

Bassett described sitting in the main seat in the coach's box at Traeger Park on Sunday as a "team experience".

"Ken was on the phone and other (assistant) coaches supported - it was still about coaching your own line but having a slightly broader look at the whole team for any shifts and adjustments on game day," Bassett said.

The review of the 14-point loss to Melbourne will have a focus on Port Adelaide's costly turnovers and the momentum run that allowed the AFL premier to score seven unanswered goals.

"Some of our ball use was average," Bassett conceded. "Melbourne give you a few more complex decisions to make with the way they defend. We were unable to handle them as well as we could. 

"Our team defence was well below where it normally performs at. We were not able to win the ball back as high up the ground as we could ... and we allowed Melbourne to move the ball too easily.

"There are a couple of areas we can work at.

"We did fight our way back (during the last term). We had some decent looks (at goal) - and missed. There were some very average turnovers and maybe some not great defending through the mid-part of the ground. That gave Melbourne a couple of easy goals."

The question on how Melbourne opportunist forward Kysaiah Pickett scored 6.1 remains.

"Some of the goals he kicked were outstanding," Bassett said. "He had seven shots on goal ... Sam Powell-Pepper had five shots on goal. And there was a six-goal difference.

"Kysaiah is a wonderful talent ... we discussed during the week how good he was and what his value was ... "

Saturday’s match against Geelong begins at 4.05pm.