PORT Adelaide's backline coach Brad Gotch knows the importance of club culture after playing and coaching at some of the most successful football clubs in the country.

As a rover, he played 96 VFL games for Fitzroy and St Kilda and, in between, played 11 at perhaps the SANFL's proudest club, Port Adelaide.

As a coach, he assisted Collingwood's rise to an AFL superpower and also played key roles in the resurgence of the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne. In his 12-year VFL coaching career, Gotch delivered Williamstown their first flag in 13 years and missed the finals only twice.

A strong culture, he said, was the foundation of a successful club. It's where every premiership drive begins and without it a side will just make up the numbers.

"In every group I've been involved with we've had to create our own history," Gotch said.

"You can protect the past and respect the past, but I don't think you hang your hat totally on it either.

"We're trying to develop a culture where we're a lot more competitive, we stay in games longer, we never give in and where supporters are proud of us because of the way we go about it."

Gotch likened the situation he's walked into at Alberton to his first year at Collingwood in 2000. The Pies, like Port, had come off a terrible season that saw them finish last and win just four games.

In only a few seasons though Collingwood had returned to the top and played in the 2002 and 2003 premiership deciders.

"I'm reminded of that now," Gotch said.

"New coaches coming in - Shaun Rehn, Josh Carr, Tyson Edwards. Last year wasn't a good year and so there's this real positivity about seeing fresh ideas."

Gotch said he could also see similarities to his time spent at Williamstown, praising the balance between experience and youth on Port's list.

In Williamstown's premiership year, the club benefited from the likes of Matthew Lloyd's brother Brad and Scott West's brother Troy (who had played nearly 400 VFL games between them) as well as AFL veterans Adrian Fletcher and Jarrod Molloy.

Gotch also had access to a wealth of younger talent as well with Williamstown then serving as Collingwood's VFL affiliate.

He said Port's mix of players is starting to resemble what a successful club should look like, with the experienced heads of Dom Cassisi and Kane Cornes contrasting nicely with players on the up like Brad Ebert and Chad Wingard.

"You just don't know how quickly it's all going to gel together," he said.

"If teams get confidence, belief, trust in each other and sense of hope, a team can definitely get on a bit of a roll. We saw it with West Coast last year."

Fighting out every game is the playing group's major focus heading towards the start of the season Gotch said, labeling "a desperate competitive nature" the "start of sustained success".

"Initially we've got to get the players in the mindset that every effort is their last and things will flow on from that," he said.

At just 166cm, Gotch was known as a fierce competitor during his playing days.

His "never say die" attitude saw him excel at the highest level and he doesn't hide the fact he expects nothing less from his players.

"I think I stand for the possibility that there's greatness in everyone," he said.

"As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter who you are, how old you are, what physical size you are, there's a certain expectation that when it's your time to go, you've got to go."

With the first round of the NAB Cup only weeks away, Gotch won't have to wait long before he gets the first glimpse of his players under match conditions.

Until then, he said, "talk is just talk".