PORT Adelaide heads north this week to Alice Springs for AFL Indigenous Round looking to get back on the winners list and remain in touch with the teams in the middle of the ladder.

OPPOSING FORCES

PORT ADELAIDE
LAST MATCH: Round 8: Port Adelaide 5.13 (43) def by Richmond 11.10 (76)

MELBOURNE
LAST MATCH: Round 8: Melbourne 15.13 (103) def Western Bulldogs 9.10 (64)

HEAD TO HEAD
Port Adelaide 17 v 11 Melbourne

LAST FIVE
Port Adelaide 5 v 0 Melbourne

THIS YEAR
Port Adelaide: LLWWWLLL v WLLWLLLW Melbourne

PLAYBILL

Round 9
Melbourne v Port Adelaide
TIO Traeger Park Oval, Alice Springs
Saturday 30 May
First Bounce: 1:40pm (local) / 2:10pm (AEST) / 1:10pm (AWST)
Hashtags: #AFLDeesPower
Broadcast: FOX Sports 3 (national), Channel 7 and FIVEaa, Triple M Adelaide, 891 ABC Adelaide (SA)

YOU'RE INVITED 

Open Training
TIO Traeger Park Oval, Speed Street, The Gap, NT
Friday 29 May
3:30pm Start (for approx. 20-30 minutes)

TIME MACHINE

Round 18, 2014: Port Adelaide clinch a three point win in Dom Cassisi’s thrilling farewell game.
PORT ADELAIDE 4.4 7.6 8.9 10.12 (72)
MELBOURNE 2.3 5.5 8.7 10.9 (69)

Best: Wines, Gray, Ebert, Westhoff, Lobbe, Cornes
Goals: Westhoff, Stewart, Schulz 2, Pittard, Boak, Wingard, Young
at the Adelaide Oval

FOUR QUARTERS

THE STAKES
Despite the recent run of losses, a win by Port on Saturday could put them on the same win/loss ratio as sides in the top eight, depending on other results for the round. While the stakes are high for Port Adelaide to reignite their season, Melbourne are in the same position on the ladder so the fire will be burning just as hard for them. A loss from Port could see them drop as low as 14th on the ladder.

THE STOCKS
Coming off a 39-point win over Western Bulldogs, Melbourne coach Paul Roos will be reluctant to make many changes. On the other side, Ken Hinkley has to make at least two forced changes after Kane Cornes's retirement and Jackson Trengove’s ankle injury, with several SANFL players including Paul Stewart, Tom Clurey, Cameron O’Shea and Aaron Young ready to step in.

THE HISTORY
Port Adelaide has the better of Melbourne in the head-to-head battle, winning 17 of the 28 contests between the sides including the last five. The last time Melbourne defeated Port Adelaide was in Round 17, 2011 in Darwin.

THE VIBE
Port need to bounce back after a disappointing few weeks; a change of scenery up in Alice Springs might be the key.