JUSTIN WESTHOFF says the Power will manage the loss of three players from this weekend's game.
Tom Jonas has injured his hamstring, Nathan Krakouer will attend a family funeral, and Brad Ebert will rest-up after suffering a bruised lung from a heavy fall in Round 16’s clash against the Hawks.
“He [Ebert] is a big one for us but we don’t want to be taking any more risks,” Westhoff said.
“He’ll be back better than ever next week.
“It’s not ideal to lose some of the more experienced guys, but we’ve just got to deal with that.
“I’m sure a few young guys will come in and the other guys will get an opportunity to prove themselves…they just need to play a more flexible role within the group."
Westhoff is expecting a fast and physical match on Saturday against North Melbourne, which currently sit in the top eight.
“It’s always a physical game, that’s what they bring and we’re up for the challenge,” he said.
“They’ve got some great players and they are in finals contention so it’s a must-win for them, but it’s the same for us so we will be ready to go.”
North Melbourne’s strong midfield and ruck dominance will be a key focus for the Power on Saturday afternoon.
“We just need to do what we do best and shut down their run, which we’ve done pretty good this year,” he said.
“We’ve still got two months of footy still to go and we can get a lot out of that.”
“We play a few top-eight teams coming up and we can knock a few of those guys off and it’s a bonus for our confidence going forward."
Port Adelaide plays North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium at 4.35pm (AEST) on Saturday 16 July.
