PORT Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes says he’s confident brother Chad can recapture good form and see out his contract, which expires at the end of next season.

The older Cornes sibling has struggled for touch this year, prompting speculation he’ll be sent back to SANFL club Glenelg this weekend.

Cornes acknowledged that his brother was disappointed with his performance so far this season, but that the premiership player and dual All-Australian was committed to turning his form around.

“Chad’s really proud and he’d love to be playing better,” Cornes said on Wednesday.

“His form hasn’t been great and up to the standard that he’s set over a long period of time. He’s disappointed with that, but he’s still really enthusiastic. He still trains as hard as anyone and does all the extra stuff, so he’s still looking to get the best out of himself.

“His passion and his hunger is still there and that’s a huge motivation for him. When he’s got that, that’s when he does play his best footy. The last seven games are really important for him to get some momentum going into next year.”

Cornes will play his 200th game against the Western Bulldogs in Darwin on Saturday night and said it would be disappointing if he couldn’t share the occasion with Chad.

“In an ideal world it would be great to have Chad out there, like he has been for most of my 200 games, but we’ll wait and see what happens [at selection] tomorrow,” Cornes said.

“I don’t think anyone would be happy about it [being dropped to the SANFL] but if that’s the way it does go Chad will be really enthusiastic about going back to Glenelg and getting himself some confidence and some form, so he can come back into the side and finish the year off well.”

It has been a tumultuous week for the Power, who parted ways with long-serving coach Mark Williams on Friday night after the club’s 26-point loss to Collingwood.

Midfield mentor Matthew Primus was installed as caretaker coach on Sunday and Cornes said the former captain had already made an impression on the players.

“Matty’s full of enthusiasm. He wants us to maintain our standards with everything we do and he’s really hot on that. He comes with a huge pedigree. He was such a respected leader on the field and a great player,” he said.

“He’s done a fantastic apprenticeship because looking after the midfield is a big job in the AFL these days. He’s done that really well and he commands the respect of all the players. I think you’ll find that everyone will play really hard for him.”

The Bulldogs will be without full-forward Barry Hall (ankle) for the clash at TIO Stadium, but skipper Brad Johnson is expected to play despite tweaking his ankle in the club’s big win over Carlton.

The Dogs have won four of the last five games played between the two sides, including two big victories in the Top End, but Cornes said the Power players were desperate to give Primus a dream start to his senior coaching career.

“Everyone is really looking forward to starting with a clean slate. We’ve pretty much said that our season starts now and we’re looking forward to getting some momentum and finishing off the season well,” Cornes said.

“We want to perform as best we can for Matty, and the last seven games are vitally important for us.”