PORT ADELAIDE will welcome back some much-needed experience in today’s SANFL Indigenous Round game against Central District.

The Magpies have included AFL-listed Zak Butters, Tom Clurey and Jackson Mead, who have all returned from lengthy injuries and Hamish Hartlett after he was a late out from the AFL side last week.

Port has lost its last three games and has dropped out of the top five and coach Matthew Lokan said the experience comes at the right time.

“It’s nice to get some experience back into our team,” he said.

“We’ve been a bit short the last few weeks with experienced players and to be able to add (Zak) Butters, (Hamish) Hartlett and (Tom) Clurey into the team, as well as Jackson (Mead), who is a quality player, is really important.

“It’s going to be very helpful for our younger players as well.”

The Bulldogs have won one of their last four, but Lokan isn’t taking them lightly after they got the jump on his side earlier this season before mounting a comeback.

“It’s important out there to start well as they play really well at Elizabeth,” he said.

“It’s hard to come back once the opposition finds a front due to it being such a big ground.

“It’s something we’ll talk about pre-game is to make sure we start really well.”

Lokan, along with the AFL-listed players, was based in Melbourne temporarily this week as the club swiftly relocated to avoid a potential lockdown and border closures due to the emergence of new COVID-19 cases in South Australia, and he said it’s been a beneficial time for the list.

“It’s been a different week for everyone at the footy club with spending some time in Melbourne,” he said.

“It’s nice to get back to Adelaide, get together and go out there to Elizabeth and hopefully get the win,”

“We had a really good session on Tuesday night together, the contracted guys and the AFL-listed guys as the AFL guys were still in isolation from last week’s game.

“It’s been quite good to get away together and build on our connection, it’s not often we get away as a full list, but we know we’ve got to come back and get the job done against Centrals.”

In celebration of SANFL Indigenous Round, Port will be wearing a special modified version of its Sir Doug Nicholls Round guernsey "Kangaroos by the Coast" designed by Aboriginal artist Elle Campbell.

Today’s game gets underway at 2.10pm at Elizabeth Oval.