Port lost stars Robbie Gray (hamstring) and Chad Wingard (delayed concussion), but coach Ken Hinkley also made a big call by dropping out-of-sorts ruckman Matthew Lobbe for the MCG match – despite having no first choice alternative.

Instead Howard, whose only senior game was the round-two Showdown loss, takes Lobbe’s place among five Port changes.

The 20-year-old has an imposing assignment, with the Tigers recalling Shaun Hampson to share the ruckwork with Ivan Maric.

But Power assistant coach Michael Voss backed Howard, saying it also came down to their midfielders supporting the young ruckman.

“We think he has the capacity to be able to handle that for us,” Voss told FIVEaa.

“If anything, it just puts more of an onus on making sure that relationship between the ruck and the rover, so to speak, comes together.”

Justin Westhoff could also come up the ground to lend support.

But with star Richmond defender Alex Rance suspended, the Power are likely to resist the temptation to throw Charlie Dixon into the ruck.

Instead, they will try to boost the supply to Dixon and exploit Rance’s absence.

Voss added they dropped Lobbe because he needed to offer more around the ground.

“It’s not so much patience, it’s just more you need a bit of time to go back and re-gather some of that form,” Voss said.

“We feel like his ruckwork has been very competitive and there are some other things in his form that he needs to work on.

“A little bit more around the ground, we’d like a greater involvement from him.”

Lobbe was smashed in the ruck last week. Photo: Michael Errey, InDaily.

Gray, easily Port’s best player so far this season, injured his hamstring at Wednesday training.

“We think it might be about two to three weeks,” Voss said.

“It’s never great when it’s mid-week [but] that’s still be assessed.”

He added they were taking no risks with Wingard’s concussion.

“He still had headaches on Monday … we know the attitude that doctors and medical staff have towards concussion and fair enough,” Voss said.

“We have to be really, really cautious.”

The Tigers have also regained vice-captain Brett Deledio for the first time this season, while Jacob Townsend was dropped.

Karl Amon was Port’s other omission and Jackson Trengove is suspended.

Port recalled Jared Polec, Brendon Ah Chee and Jarman Impey along with Howard.

Nathan Krakouer is also back for his first senior game of the season after serving his six-week club suspension.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick resisted the urge to make wholesale changes to his under-performing Richmond side this week, but the coach made it clear a substandard effort against Port Adelaide will have consequences.

While Hardwick’s hands have been tied at the selection table by injury to a certain extent, he said it would be wrong to assume his players had gotten off lightly after a 1-4 start to the season.

“We put the acid on players on a weekly basis with players on their performance – they get rated incredibly heavily,” Hardwick said.

“We forensically examine their games and they get adequate feedback on a weekly basis, so the acid is always there.

“It’s a performance-based industry – if you don’t perform you play seconds football.

“We’ve dropped a number of guys this year because of that … the players know they’re paid to perform.”

Jack Riewoldt was named in the side after recovering strongly from a badly rolled ankle and Hardwick is confident his star forward will line up against Port, who at 2-3 have also failed to live up to expectations so far this season.

“It is a very important game this week … no doubt about that,” Hardwick said.

“Port Adelaide will be saying exactly the same thing. We can’t keep giving sides three to four games head start then expect to try and reel them in.

“We’re going to put everything we are into this game.”

-AAP