ASSITANT coach Dean Bailey took the Power through their paces at training on Friday with Mark Williams an understandable absentee.

Williams was excused from the session to be with his family as they mourn the loss of Mark's mother and Port Adelaide Football Club matriarch, Von Williams.

"When the senior coach isn't there it's always a bit different," Bailey said.

"But the guys are focused on this week and I thought they trained pretty well."

Port Adelaide is determined to dismiss suggestions the team is soft, following the team's submissive first half against Geelong.

Bailey and the Power coaching staff are demanding a better effort from their players on Sunday.

"We expect a response," he said.

"That response will be hard at the footy, agression at the footy and we want to win those hard balls."

"I think we're third in the AFL at contested ball so it's more of a mindset and attitude and we need to come with the right one this week and the rest will follow."

Two players brimming with enthusiasm will be Robbie Gray and Justin Westhoff.

The odd couple gives the Power more potency in a dynamic forward structure.

Westhoff is a 199cm key position forward, while Gray is a much smaller, roving goalkicker.

"They bring a fair bit of excitement (to the side) I would've thought," Bailey said.

"They bring enthusiasm, they bring a bit of unpredictablility too and I think that's going to be a good thing for us on Sunday. They're both attacking players and we're very very happy to have them in and in form."

Taken with pick number 71 at last year's National Draft, beanpole Westhoff has been in brilliant form for Central Districts, kicking 3.2 against the Roosters on Saturday.

"Westy's got a lot of strengths. He has very good endurance and really good speed. For a bloke that's 200cm he's very good on the ground and we see a very exciting future for him," Bailey said.

Sharp-shooting Gray has booted 13.3 for West Adelaide this season and in the past four rounds has averaged 20 possessions a game moving up into the midfield.

It's no secret Port Adelaide has high hopes for Gray, but Bailey said comparisons made to Gary Ablett Jr. during the week were unfair on the 19-year-old.

"The greatest danger you can have is to compare him to someone of Gary Ablett's ability," Bailey said.

"He's not Gary Ablett. He does a couple of little things that are the same, but at the end of the day Robbie Gray will play how Robbie Gray plays. He's a very good and a very clean ball user and that's how we expect him to play."

Despite grieving the loss of his mother, Williams is expected to take his place in the coach's box on Sunday.

Bailey said the Power players will draw inspiration from last week's disappointment rather than the sad passing of Von Williams.

"The loss of Mark's mother is regrettable and we all feel for Mark at this stage, because of the person he is and the family man that he is," Bailey said.

"But we'll look at last week. The players are really looking forward to playing footy on Sunday. We need to prove to our supporters and the public who are watching that we are a better team than in the first half of last week."