THE ACQUISITION of Brisbane's Tom Rockliff would provide greater flexibility to Port Adelaide's coaching panel in 2018, says Power list manager Jason Cripps. 

Rockliff, 27, informed Port Adelaide overnight of his desire to join the Power in 2018.

While there is still some way to go before the former Lions captain could defect to Alberton, the Power are hopeful of bringing the restricted free agent into the fold after a productive series of meetings with coach Ken Hinkley and captain Travis Boak.

"Tommy spent a fair bit of time with Ken Hinkley and Travis Boak on a couple of different occasions, and obviously they were able to sell to Tom what we're about as a football club, what we stand for, what our vision is going forward," Cripps told SEN.

Cripps said the ability to play Rockliff - an inside midfielder - up forward, would ease the load on younger players like Ollie Wines and Sam Powell-Pepper.

"In the first eight or nine rounds, Powell-Pepper, Ebert and Wines were outstanding," Cripps said.

"Probably as the year went along Powell-Pepper who will be 19 next year ... probably tired a little bit, Ollie Wines is still 22 - they're young guys and we thought we need just a little bit more depth in there.

"[Rockliff] has shown over his career he's got the ability to go forward and impact ... and we also think Powell-Pepper can go forward and impact, so it certainly adds in that space, and also gives the coaches some flexibility in terms of where they can play different guys."