PORT Adelaide coach Matthew Primus says veteran Chad Cornes is still a chance to play in the club's season opener, despite being left out of the team to take on Greater Western Sydney at Willaston on Saturday.

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Cornes was named in the Power's 28-man squad to play the Giants, but failed to make the cut when that number was trimmed to 24 and will instead line up for Glenelg in a SANFL trial against Norwood.

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Last month, Primus revealed the 31-year-old wouldn't be guaranteed selection this season, as part of the club's youth policy.

Cornes played in the opening two weeks of Port Adelaide's pre-season campaign and was trialled as a substitute in the second half against Geelong last weekend.

The team that lines up in the first half at Willaston on Saturday will be similar to the side selected to play against Collingwood in round one, but Primus said there was still time for Cornes to earn a recall.

"Chad is very close, like a few others that will be playing the second half for us tomorrow. So, tomorrow he's not [in our best 21], but he can work his way into that," Primus said on Friday.

"I'm probably settled on 10-15 guys, perhaps, who are definitely going to play [in round one] and then after that I'm not quite sure.

"Chad's performed well in our first two NAB Cup games and that [his place in the team] will play out not only over the next couple of weeks, but over the [course of] the season.

"He's going to be important because he knows how to play a full season. He's a mature body and we're going to need that around our younger guys."

The versatile Cornes earned All-Australian selection at centre half-back in 2004 and on the wing in 2007, but was recast as a forward this pre-season.

Primus said he hadn’t settled on a forward-line structure and that Cornes would continue to play a variety of roles in 2011.

"We're not quite convinced of what our forward-line structure looks like yet. It'll depend on the opposition we're playing, so we're having a look at being small tomorrow with Justin Westhoff and Jay Schulz down there," he said.

"Schulz and Westhoff have been in good form and that's the reason Chad's not playing … but with having only three players on the bench you're going to need most of your forwards to go on ball or somewhere up the ground and we know Chad can do that."

Forward Jason Davenport and utility Nick Salter have also been left out of the final team to play the Giants.

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Davenport, who is on the comeback from an adductor complaint, will train at Alberton on Saturday morning, while Salter, former vice-captain Jacob Surjan and second-year player Andrew Moore are expected to line up in SANFL trials.

In other news, Port Adelaide has unveiled a new premier corporate partner, with Australia's largest natural gas distributor Envestra signing up as the players' shorts sponsor this season.

Natural Gas to Power Port