Melbourne with the league's tightest defence. Port Adelaide with its "tallest" defence for some time with the presence of four big men - captain Tom Jonas, Tom Clurey, Aliir Aliir and Trent McKenzie.

For once, the men holding up the back of the field might find greater appreciation in a Thursday Night Football encounter at Adelaide Oval that will reshape the top four at the start of round 17.

But ... 

It is the AFL season that is supposed to be about more scoring, particularly with the "stand rule" for players on the mark. However, after 16 weeks, scoring is no better than the 80-point average from 2019 - the last season with the regulation 20-minute quarters.

Melbourne is the best-rated defensive unit of the season. It is the only defence still to concede 1000 points (999 so far).

So will the forwards strike back in this match-up of the AFL's second- and fourth-ranked teams?

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Three Port Adelaide forwards - comeback kid Zak Butters, milestone man Steven Motlop and All-Australian Charlie Dixon - can steal the limelight from the defenders.

Butters will play his first AFL game since April 9 - when he suffered ankle and knee injuries against AFL premier Richmond at Adelaide Oval - and second competitive match in six days after a successful comeback in the SANFL against Central District at Elizabeth Oval.

"And a week before I thought," says Port Adelaide senior coach Ken Hinkley of Butters' sudden return. "It has surprised us."

It would surprise anyone who saw Butters run awkwardly on the boundary at Alberton Oval in May before it became apparent he needed knee surgery to correct nerve damage around the joint. 

Now Butters is loaded with energy - for himself, his club's supporters who have missed his goalscoring presence on the field and his team that needs a defiant conduit between the midfield and attack.

"Zak loves footy; he just loves footy," Hinkley said. "His world is footy a little bit, probably sometimes too much for Zak because he puts so much pressure on himself. But he loves footy and he is excited.

"He is physically fit. His challenge will be conditioning to play at AFL level again. It will be a bit of a physical challenge."

While Butters is "managed" in his workloads in his first AFL game in three months and second match in less than a week, there will be no under-estimating his importance to the Port Adelaide playbook.

"Without putting it all on Zak, we have noticed we have missed a bit of our front-half football movement," said Hinkley who has had to deal with the absence by injury of Butters, wingman Xavier Duursma and specialist forwards Orazio Fantasia and Robbie Gray. "There's no doubt that when you got quality missing in one area, you do miss it."

And the pressure to do more builds on Motlop and Dixon ...

"Motlop has had to carry a fair bit of that," Hinkley said. "And he has done it really well."

Motlop plays his 200th AFL milestone game, in his fourth season at Port Adelaide after 135 senior games at Geelong.

This season, Motlop has been a constant in a Port Adelaide forward division that has been repeatedly reshaped by injury, in particular with the absence by knee injuries to Gray and Essendon recruit Fantasia who remain on the sidelines.

"We are constantly trying to get better and find new ways to improve our game," said Motlop, who has scored 11.6 in 15 matches while averaging 16.53 disposals - his best since 17.62 in 2018, his first year at Alberton.

"We have some real speed in the forward line; we are playing well together - and gelling as a team," added Motlop, the notable running machine in the Port Adelaide line-up after the loss to a knee injury in round 4 of wingman Duursma.

Motlop noted this week his role - as a high half-forward - can be "dry" as a hit-or-miss function in an attack noted for a high count of inside-50 entries.

Hinkley paid tribute to Motlop's commitment to the team game that often can be ignored by those focussing on his return on the scoreboard.

"Stevie has been a good footballer for a long time," Hinkley said of the 30-year-old Motlop. "He has been a match winner. At Geelong, in his past, he has been able to win big games in big moments. And for us he has done that, winning games (such as his first Showdown) at Port Adelaide.

"It might be strange for me to say but he has found a real love of the game again in the last couple of years. You can just tell that Steven is loving his time at our footy club and loving his time playing footy still. He is enjoying those moments.

"He is an absolute professional with the way he prepares - he is the best I think we have when it comes to pre-hab and rehabbing and doing what he does to keep himself in great shape. He trains hard, works hard ... and he is a funny bloke. A really funny bloke and you love him around your club because he brings energy and excitement."

This is a standout note about Motlop's attitude considering he can often be forced to work at maximum effort for little reward in the no-man's land of high forwards.

"We recognise his role," Hinkley said. "We recognise what he brings. Sometimes it is really unrewarded - and Steven knows that. All our high forwards know that. Some days it is a good day and some days it is not so good with the numbers.

"For us, it is the role you play for the team to be successful. And if the team is successful those players get enough reward out of that and they are happy to be part of a good team."

Dixon can expect the normal, at least two defenders in his space - Steven May on his back shadow and Jake Lever in his front run-up.

"He has been (dealing with double- and triple-team defensive tactics) for six years here," Hinkley said. "So it is not an issue for him. He is playing pretty good footy and sometimes it has resulted in goals and other times not resulted in goals.

"But he plays the same most weeks and makes a big difference to us."

Adelaide Oval has three video scoreboards and the classic old scoreboard on the northern mound. This game might begin with fascination on two bold defences. It ultimately ends with attention on the forwards.

BIRD SEED

(the little stuff that counts most)

Where: Adelaide Oval

When: Thursday, July 8

Time: 7.10pm (SA time)

Last time: Port Adelaide 12.11 (83) d Melbourne 4.8 (32) at the Gabba, July 30 last year 

Overall: Port Adelaide 22, Melbourne 13

Past five games (most recent first): W W W L L 

Scoring average: Port Adelaide 95, Melbourne 82

Tightest margin - Port Adelaide by three points (72-69) at Adelaide Oval, round 18, July 20, 2014; Melbourne by one point (111-110) at Marrara Oval, Darwin, round 9, May 22, 2010.

Biggest margin - Port Adelaide by 89 points (163-74) at Football Park, round 17, July 29, 2007; Melbourne by 53 points (124-71) at the MCG, round 4, April 17, 2004.

By venues - Adelaide Oval (3-1); Football Park (11-2); MCG (3-8); Marrara Oval, Darwin (1-2); Traeger Park, Alice Springs (3-0); Gabba (1-0).

By States and territories - SA: 14-3; Victoria: 3-8; Northern Territory: 4-2; Queensland: 1-0.