Redden Returns

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With his recall, Redden will ruck alongside Brent Renouf who has shouldered the bulk of the Power’s ruck work in the past six weeks, supported by Stewart, Jackson Trengove and Justin Westhoff.

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Midfield coach Shaun Rehn said selectors had opted for a ruck duo to counter Carton’s big man options, including Matthew Kreuzer, Robert Warnock and Shaun Hampson.

“Reddo’s been very unlucky to be out of the side ever since we freshened him up,” Rehn said.

“It’s his presence. It’s his strength. He’s a young lad. His ability to compete with stronger bodies is very good. Hampson’s big-bodied and so is Kreuzer. They’re both strong lads and they’ve also got the height of Warnock. Renouf can’t do it all on his own.”

Both ruckmen will have to play dual roles, with the Power needing to cover Stewart’s loss from the attacking zone where he has averaged a goal a game in 2012.

“We’re looking for a ruck combination,” Rehn said.

“This is a chance to see how it goes with our forward line without the mobility of Daniel, but hopefully we can get more dominance in the ruck.

“Will that correlate into better numbers in the midfield? I think that being able to keep power into the ruck is important.”

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Rehn said Stewart - who was subbed off in the second half against Gold Coast last week - was unlucky, but had been omitted for both tactical and form reasons.

“Probably he didn’t’ take his chances as much as he could have on the weekend, plus it’s just a change of personnel for ruck.

“But if you don’t put your form out of reach then you’re at risk.

“Ultimately his position really is a like for like, but the like is a bigger stronger body that will better compete against their ruckmen.”

The Power’s mid-field has stepped up in the past fortnight, helping to deliver victories over North Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

“There’s no doubt our effort was there for four quarters for most of the earlier past of the season, but the polish was there for smaller periods, the real polish, the quality use and run,” Rehn conceded.

“But they’ve done that now for a couple of weeks, so we hope they’re may be building up a bit, building energy up.”

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Rehn said the team is looking forward to an opportunity to record three wins in a row, returning home to take on a Blues side missing some key midfielders including Marc Murphy and Andrew Carrazzo.

“The playing group have a really good opportunity for themselves to attack this game with a lot of energy against an opponent that is highly respected, but is missing a couple of their key midfielders which will change their mix a little bit,” Rehn said.

John Butcher was again unavailable for selection as he deals with hip soreness, but should be available for next week’s clash with Hawthorn.

Port Adelaide and Carlton meet at AAMI Stadium from 7.10pm on Saturday.

The game is Travis Boak’s 100th and Jackson Trengoves 50th, with both players chalking up all their appearances with Port Adelaide.