PORT ADELAIDE will be giving defender Dan Houston every chance to prove he has overcome a shoulder injury and is fit to feature against St Kilda on Sunday evening.

Houston was subbed out of the win over Carlton, but scans showed no major damage to his injured AC joint.

If the classy right footer is unable to take his place in the side, there are no shortage of others putting their hand up to take it.

Defenders Trent McKenzie and Jarrod Lienert were standouts in the SANFL game against South Adelaide last Saturday along with midfielder Tom Rockliff.

McKenzie was a rock in the backline with eight marks including three contested as well as 18 disposals, eight rebound 50s and two tackles. His consistency in the early rounds of the season has been notable and he is pressing for his AFL chance.

Lienert, similarly, has been good all year and finished with 22 disposals, six marks and eight rebound 50s.

Rockliff’s numbers were impressive for a guy who hadn’t played a full game of footy all season.

He had a game-high 41 possessions, seven clearances, six tackles and five marks to finish as the highest ranked player on the ground.

Ruckman/forward Pete Ladhams had 18 disposals, 14 hit-outs and seven clearances in an enterprising SANFL showing while midfield bull Sam Powell-Pepper enjoyed his first outing of 2021 after a period of leave, also having 18 touches to go with four bruising tackles, two clearances and a goal.

Willem Drew, who replaced Houston after half time in the SANFL game, is also in the mix to return to the side after a solid showing in the second half while travelling emergency Martin Frederick’s run out of defence will no doubt be spoken about if Houston is absent, putting him in line for an AFL debut.

Port Adelaide will on Saturday evening name its side to tackle St Kilda, with the game getting underway at Adelaide Oval at 6:10pm ACST on Sunday.