PORT Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes admits he was a 'bit surprised' by brother Chad's axing last week, but says the dual All-Australian and premiership player won't give up until he reclaims his place in the team.

The eldest Cornes brother has struggled for form and fitness in recent years and at the start of pre-season, coach Matthew Primus told the 31-year-old he wouldn't be guaranteed selection this year, as the club builds towards its next premiership.

Cornes played in the opening two weeks of the pre-season competition and made an impact after coming onto the ground as a substitute in the second half of the club's big win over Geelong in week three.

It wasn't enough, however, and he was left out of the team to play Greater Western Sydney last weekend.

The veteran responded by kicking six goals for Glenelg in a trial game against Norwood on Saturday and Kane said his sibling was determined to force the hand of Port selectors.

"Chad was disappointed to be dropped, despite what Matty [Primus] had said [about him not being guaranteed selection]. He's probably done everything right this pre-season and it's the best pre-season he's had in five or six years," Kane Cornes told afl.com.au.

"His training is amazing and he also performed well in the trial games, so it was a bit surprising and disappointing for him, but he went back to Glenelg with a great attitude.

"The players and coaches out there treat him well and he performed pretty well on the weekend, so if he keeps doing that, it's going to make it hard for the coaches to keep leaving him out."

Port Adelaide's top priority this season is getting game time into its core group of players aged 25 years and under.

Untried defenders Jasper Pittard and Cam O'Shea and rookie-listed onballer Jarrad Irons are all in line to make their AFL debuts against Collingwood in round one, while inexperienced players Matthew Broadbent and Paul Stewart are also set to receive more opportunities under Primus.

Kane Cornes is one of only seven Power players that doesn't fit into the under-25 age bracket, but the 28-year-old was confident he would still be around when the club was ready to challenge for a second premiership.

"It's exciting because if you're a young guy, you know you're going to get an opportunity at some stage," Cornes said.

"But we're going to need some experience around the club and hopefully I'm still playing in three or four years time when the guys we have got that game time into are really coming into the prime of their careers.

"Hopefully, it works out and towards the end of my career is when we have a team that's going to be a powerhouse of the competition and I can hang on and, maybe, win another flag."

Kane Cornes is a $418,300 midfielder in the Toyota AFL Dream Team competition.