Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has given a strong indication that small forward Willie Rioli will return from his one-week suspension against Geelong this weekend, pending his training block this week.
Rioli missed last weekend's Showdown due to a suspension handed down by the AFL following the discovery of several threats made by the Power forward. Rioli also decided to step down from his playing role for Round 9.
Hinkley has revealed it has been "a pretty good week" for Rioli at the club, with the premiership ex-Eagle having found great support from teammates, coaches and staff at Alberton.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Hinkley said Rioli is a strong chance to face the Cats at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
"We can put him on the selection sheet, as long as he gets through training today," Hinkley said.
"We've got to make some decisions around what's right. Willie's a pretty good player and would add to our team in the front half, where we probably needed more last week.
"We'll be very mindful and very cautious in our approach as to whether we do or don't bring Willie into the side.
"If he's happy, coping and doing really well - his footy isn't an issue - we've just got to make sure he's emotionally in the right spot. It looks really positive in that space, he's had a pretty good week."
Rioli's likely inclusion comes as Hinkley is forced to make at least one change to the side that fell to Adelaide, with defender Kane Farrell sidelined for at least a month with a knee injury.
Rory Atkins and Logan Evans could be considered for Farrell's spot after strong outings in the SANFL, while Hinkley has also lauded the efforts of Hugh Jackson and Will Lorenz.
Veteran Travis Boak had a successful return through the SANFL over the weekend and could also be in the selection mix.
Ruckman Jordon Sweet was solid in his SANFL return after being dropped in favour of young tall Dante Visentini, who had a promising Showdown performance, recording 13 hitouts to advantage and six clearances.
Hinkley hinted Visentini is likely to retain his role in the starting side, having shown an improvement in his connection with his fellow midfielders over Sweet.
"He was pretty good, I think. He'd be unlucky not to hold his spot," Hinkley said of Visentini.
"Jordon has been good for us for a good period of time. He played against some really good opponents in his last three or four games, which has been quite challenging for him. We haven't quite had quite the connection between our ruck and mids.
"I think we saw a significant growth in that area last week, with a slight adjustment from the person who was in the ruck for us.
"Just because you get hitouts doesn't necessarily mean you're getting an advantage. For us, it's about the collective group. That team that works around the ball have to be successful together."
The Power are chasing their fifth win of the season on Saturday when they host the Cats, with a victory taking them to a level record of 5-5 for the year.
