DO you play Geelong or Kardinia Park?

Port Adelaide senior coach Ken Hinkley - a former Geelong player with a 34-10 winning record at Kardinia Park - is quite clear his game plan for Saturday night's final-eight shaping encounter must focus on the AFL premier and not the league's hoodoo venue.

"No-one has had great results on that ground," said Hinkley on Thursday of the Kardinia Park hoodoo that has hit Port Adelaide since 2007. 

"There is no tricky answer to that question - Geelong has been a bloody good team. Let's not get too lost on this one. Geelong has won everywhere. 

"The ground is slightly different. No-one gets surprised by the ground being skinnier or that the ball gets kicked out of bounds - by both teams, not just the visiting team. It is not that big an issue."

Port Adelaide will name its match 22 - and the emergencies from which the tactical substitute will come - on Thursday night with key components to the line-up still in question, such as the fitness of experienced ruckman Scott Lycett with his ongoing knee concerns.

However, captain Tom Jonas will resume for his first AFL game since the round 18 loss to Carlton at the Docklands in west Melbourne. His return for his 10th AFL game this season is definite by the loss of key defender Aliir Aliir and fellow defender Lachie Jones who have been placed in concussion care after their clash at Adelaide Oval during Showdown LIV.

"Tom has been remarkable the way he has handled what has not been a perfect season for him," Hinkley said. "He has been incredible in how he has handled things."

Selection also will reaffirm former captain Travis Boak - the only current squad member with a win at Kardinia Park as a Port Adelaide player - will stay in the match squad after being the tactical substitute in the derby.

"We still have a bit to work through with availability," Hinkley said before training at Alberton on Thursday morning. "Scott Lycett is the one we are waiting on the most; we will see how he goes at training (and how his knee responds after training)."

Port Adelaide is needing to snap a three-game losing streak to ensure it holds a top-two ranking - with the reward of a home qualifying final - in September.

"We are feeling the pressure," Hinkley said. "We feel that pressure because we need to play well. Our season is not in jeopardy. It is about our need to get back to our best. In the Showdown, we were beaten badly. We were really disappointed with that performance. The week before we played a super game of football (to lose by two points to league leader Collingwood). We are not that far away from that type of form, but we need to produce it.

"It is not one part of our game that has been a little bit off, it has been two or three parts of our game - we have not been able to defend the ground as well as we had in the first 15-16 weeks of the season. That has let us down a little bit.

"We have also have not been as good with the ball in hand. It is never as simple as one thing. It is a connection within the team that is not quite at its best. 

"We are happy we are creating opportunities, but we have not been as efficient as we need to be going forward. Some of that is to do with the opposition. Some of that is from the way we use the ball at times.

"We are confident. The big picture is we are second on the ladder. We worked really hard to get to that position. 

"Fatigue is not an excuse for us. We knew at the start of the year we had to play 24 rounds to qualify (for finals). Are we feeling the absolute best? Physically, there would not be a team in the competition that would say it feels as good as it did in February."

Port Adelaide will face Geelong for the second time in this home-and-away series after a 38-point win at Adelaide Oval on June 15.

Hinkley addressed the key off-field issues that have overwhelmed the AFL agenda this week:

"We have had some issues we would rather not have had, but they have been dealt with the best way they could," Hinkley said.

"We have reflected as a club. We understand concussion is a massive issue - and everyone is working to a better outcome on concussion."

FULL SUPPORT of club doctor Mark Fisher who will remain on duty at Kardinia Park this weekend: "He has given great service to this football club," Hinkley said of Fisher. "Of course he will (travel with the team). It is a really tough question to throw out there - 'Do we lack trust in Mark Fisher?' That is not the case at all. He said he got it wrong, but we should be able to say he has a lot of runs on the board that we should acknowledge from his work at Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and football. He has done a lot of good things in his profession that we should respect."

ALIIR AND JONES are "pretty good," says Hinkley. "They are both under concussion protocols. It is right that they rest and they will be fit and ready to go next week (at home against Greater Western Sydney)."

COACHING APPOINTMENTS: Port Adelaide and Hinkley are standing by their long-standing commitment to start contract renewal talks this month. "From my personal point of view, I would love to stay at Port Adelaide," Hinkley said. "That will be discussed throughout August. Those talks have not officially started. I have not signed a thing, not even a footy card. The only certainty is I would love to be here."