AT 1.30pm (Perth time) on Sunday, Ken Hinkley and his squad will know exactly where Port Adelaide stands in the AFL finals race, in particular the chase for second spot and a home qualifying final.

The opponent, ninth-ranked Fremantle, will need to wait slightly longer to know if the opportunity still exists to finish the home-and-away series in the top eight where it has spent most of the season.

At 3.10pm (Perth time, 4.40pm at Alberton), Port Adelaide will submit a team sheet that Hinkley says will be the same as planned - regardless of whether the clash with Fremantle is a dead rubber or relevant to the final home-and-away ladder.

"We will prepare as we have every other week; we want to bring our best and play our best-available people," Hinkley said at Alberton on Friday morning. "That is all we are going to focus on.

"And that hopefully will let us stay in really good form," added Hinkley who has overseen a run of five consecutive wins.

"I have been really strong with the whole group - everyone - that we stay in the moment. We have to play Fremantle, a really good team on their home deck."

The extended squad named on Thursday evening will be trimmed to the match 23 on Friday evening. All three emergencies will travel to Perth "to make sure we have all (possibilities) covered," added Hinkley.

Of the temptation to "rest" or "manage" players should Greater Western Sydney and Geelong no longer be a threat to Port Adelaide's hold on second spot, Hinkley could not have been more emphatic: "No. The only thing we will do is pick the fittest people who are available for us to play. And we expect that to be the team we finalise tonight. We think they will be the ones who take the field.

"We will do everything to win this game. That is our responsibility.

"It gets too dangerous (otherwise). We don't want to lose anything to do with momentum or form."

WHO PLAYS: Expect specialist forward Mitch Georgiades to resume after missing two matches with a quad injury.

"All things are pointing towards a positive," Hinkley said. 

Captain Connor Rozee and forward Esava Ratugolea are clear of the cold that kept them from training earlier in the week.

Lead ruckman Jordon Sweet is well recovered from the elbow niggle he took from the Showdown. Fremantle again is without Sean Darcy and has named one-game Victorian recruit Liam Reidy to lead its ruck battery that is blessed with the versatility of Luke Jackson.

Sweet again will have the support of key forward Charlie Dixon who continues to bring strong energy to ruck contests - regardless of the image of a reluctant ruckman.

"Charlie seems to be coping," Hinkley said. "He has had an interesting year. We look forward to him playing really well on Sunday."

WHO MISSES: Forward Todd Marshall remains on the sidelines working through the concussion protocols.

"But he is really fine now," Hinkley said. "Clearly we have taken the precaution through advice and through history that we give him an extra week - and that is a really smart thing to do. Todd will absolutely be available for us after this week.

"There are challenges (in preparing Marshall before finals without match practice). But Todd is a very good player - a really natural player and we bring him in pretty quickly normally. We like him in our team."

DOCKERS ANCHOR: Hinkley is not taking the general concept that Fremantle has a playbook with a heavy emphasis on defence.

"They are a very good team in a competition that is so close," said Hinkley with the memory of Fremantle pushing Port Adelaide to within three points at Adelaide Oval this season. The past two meetings at Perth Stadium have been split with Port Adelaide winning by 16 points last season after losing by eight in 2022.

"Two weeks ago, Fremantle is sitting second on the ladder. They are (now) one win from fifth. They are a very good team ... and on their home deck it will be a challenge. 

"They have a great balance in their game. They have an elite midfield that plays really good footy. That will be a real challenge for us. They have more than one phase of football. We can get lost in thinking they have one style of football. Fremantle is a balanced team."

FINALS BUILD-UP: Port Adelaide's wins in recent weeks have demanded a strong style of play that should answer long-standing critics who have questioned if the playbook is resilient to September pressure.

"We are playing really strong footy," Hinkley said. "The challenge for us to is keep playing strong footy. If we can play in that vein of form for however much longer, that will give us our best chance (for success).

"Without being disrespectful (to the critics), it is the way we have always tried to play."

AND DAN: All-Australian defender Dan Houston has his season at an end through the five-game ban he takes from the Showdown bump on Izak Rankine. But his career at Port Adelaide will continue to 2025 and beyond in Hinkley's plans.

"I have said it plenty of times - Dan is an important player, a leadership player and he has a three-year contract with our club," Hinkley said. "He loves our footy club.

"I am really comfortable Dan will play more games for Port Adelaide.

"The club did everything it could to support Dan (through the challenge to the AFL's demand for a five-game ban). We take the umpire's decision and we have to move on. The action Dan took (in choosing to bump) was wrong and he now pays the price. But he is a very, very fair player. And a great person."

The options in defence are a choice of Ryan Burton (who resumed in the Showdown from a foot injury but played as a forward); Josh Sinn (who is in the squad this week); and Dylan Williams.

"We are very lucky with our half-backs that we have a number of players who are good players," Hinkley said. "Ryan Burton at half-back is not a long bow ...."

PLUS RIOLI: Forward Willie Rioli again endured racial vilification on social media this week.

"Again, it is a repeat thing - and Willie knows he has our support and the broader community support," Hinkley said. "He has 99 per cent support and we want it to stop. But it does not seem to stop while people are able to get away with that stuff. It is a blight on those people."