PORT Adelaide coach Mark Williams says his side is preparing to play to a losing ruck when it does battle with West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Saturday evening.

The Power were flogged in the hit-outs (41-10) when the sides met in round two of the NAB Cup, but despite the dominance of Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui the visitors still managed to win the clearances (41-27).

Vice-captain Dean Brogan missed that game, leaving forward Justin Westhoff, untried ruckman Matthew Lobbe and rookie Cameron Cloke to shoulder the load against Cox and Naitanui.

West Coast was also without key midfielders Daniel Kerr, Matt Priddis and Andrew Embley and Williams said it would be harder for his players to shark opposition ruck taps this time around.

"It's a completely different [proposition] this week. Dean Brogan is going to be much more competitive [in the ruck] than [Westhoff, Cloke and Lobbe] were last time we played West Coast," Williams said on Friday.

"They've got Kerr and Priddis back on the ground, as well as some others with a bit more knowledge, so it's going to be much more difficult on Saturday.

"I think the outcome of the ruck battle will really go a long way to determining the result of the game. We're going to anticipate that Cox and Naitanui are going to win a lot of the ruck contests.

"Last time we got smashed at the ruck but won the clearances, so we're hoping to do something similar this time around."

West Coast will be without forwards Mark LeCras (knee) and Quinten Lynch (omitted), while Port Adelaide has recalled defender Troy Chaplin and tough utility Tom Logan at the expense of draftee Andrew Moore and former Lion Scott Harding.

Midfielder David Rodan is poised to add to the Power's selection mix over the next fortnight.

Rodan, 26, lined up for SANFL side Norwood on Thursday night, just 15 weeks after having successful LARS surgery on his left knee.

Williams was relieved to see Rodan get through the game, but said he was unlikely to get an AFL call-up before round five.

"David only got 15 possessions in the SANFL, so that suggests he's still a little underdone," he said. "But from what we've seen at training his touch is good. He's probably two or three more weeks away [from AFL selection].

"A few of the others went out and I was getting reports from them. Unfortunately, Norwood only had 19 players in the last quarter so David had to spend a little bit more time on the ground (77 per cent) than we hoped but we planned for that.

"Norwood were terrific in leaving him in the forward line for much of the second half."