The third game on Saturday for AFL Round 23 is between Port Adelaide Power and Carlton Blues. The match is to be played at AAMI STADIUM with the opening bounce set to commence at 4:40pm local time with home team Port Adelaide Power currently holding favouritism in the market. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Port Adelaide Power and Carlton Blues.

WHERE AND WHEN: AAMI STADIUM, 4:40pm AEST, Saturday 31 August

Opening odds comparison:

Port Adelaide Power	1.70	1.72	1.72	1.72	1.70	1.75
Carlton Blues	2.14	2.12	2.12	2.12	2.14	2.03

Preview:

Port Adelaide take on Carlton on Saturday, 4.10pm at AAMI Stadium. With 7th playing 8th, there is a lot to play for here, and both teams will come out firing. The Power
will have to turn their form around, however, after a 74-point loss to the Dockers last week. The Blues need to win here to ensure an eighth place finish, and will be
hoping for the return of Garlett, Kreuzer, and Walker, for what will be their most important game of 2013 so far.

Teams:

Port Adelaide Power:
Backs: O’Shea Hombsch Logan
Half-backs: Broadbent Trengove Jonas
Centres: Brad Ebert Boak Cornes
Half-forwards: Gray Westhoff Cassisi
Forwards: Wingard Schulz Monfries
Followers: Lobbe Moore Wines
Interchange: Stevenson Pittard Colquhoun Young
Emergencies: Neade Renouf Heath
In: Tom Logan, Lewis Stevenson, Jack Hombsch, Domenic Cassisi
Out: Alipate Carlile (back), Jake Neade (omitted), Campbell Heath (omitted), Kane Mitchell (back)

Carlton Blues:
Backs: Scotland Jamison Henderson
Half-backs: Tuohy McInnes Gibbs
Centres: Yarran Robinson Simpson
Half-forwards: Curnow Walker Bell
Forwards: Garlett Casboult Kreuzer
Followers: Warnock Betts Murphy
Interchange: Armfield Ellard Menzel Waite
Emergencies: Duigan Joseph Lucas
In: David Ellard, Andrew Walker, Matthew Kreuzer, Jeff Garlett
Out: Nick Duigan (omitted), Nick Graham (omitted), Brock McLean (quad), Aaron Joseph (omitted)

High stakes suit Port coach Hinkley

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says it’s perfect.

Before his club returns to the AFL finals for the first time since 2007, they meet a team scrapping for survival – Carlton.

If the Blues beat Port on Saturday, they’re in the finals. Lose, and they sweat on other results.

Hinkley welcomes the high-stakes encounter at AAMI Stadium as ideal preparation for Port’s finals campaign.

“Perfect,” Hinkley told reporters on Thursday.

“What a great opportunity for us. We are going to play against a side who absolutely have to win to get their place in the finals, and we’re getting ourselves ready to play in the first week of the finals.

“Importantly for us, we have to get this week right, because if we worry about next week, that will be an absolute big mistake.”

Hinkley will summon former captain Dom Cassisi from a two-match absence with a sore hamstring, and defender Jack Hombsch will return after missing seven games with a fractured cheekbone.

“It will give them a chance to be fit and available for the following week,” Hinkley said, while also ruling out resting any players from Saturday’s game.

Port have been the undoubted surprises of the season, banking 12 wins so far – in the two previous seasons combined, they only won eight games.

“We have earnt the right (to play finals),” Hinkley said.

“Our last two losses have been Geelong in Geelong and Freo in Freo – they are sides in the top of the tree.

“They made it hard work for us … (but) you get a great lesson in what you need to be able to bring yourself and what you have got to be able to get to.

“We don’t have to wait to get there. We have got to charge to get there.”