Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is staunchly backing club icons Travis Boak and Tom Jonas to find form as his club faces an early-season litmus test against Sydney.
Hinkley concedes ex-captain Boak and current skipper Jonas have been below-par ahead of the Power's Saturday night SCG clash against the Swans.
But he says the decorated duo aren't the only players to struggle in Port's middling start of one win and two defeats.
Boak suffered a fractured rib in the pre-season, missed Port's season-opening win and was a round-two substitute before returning to the starting side last week.
"He didn't have a great preparation leading up to the start of the season," Hinkley told reporters on Friday.
"But he is now going into his second full game and what we have seen from Travis over an incredible amount of time, that by the time the season is complete he would have put together another great season."
Hinkley said labelling Jonas' form as terrible was unfair.
"Like everyone in the team, everyone knows that there is some room to move and there is some places they need to get to themselves individually and collectively," he said.
"If the team is playing well, it's much easier for every individual in the team to play better.
"It's unfair, it's definitely an unfair conversation. Tom has been a great captain for me and I will respect him forever and he will be a player that I will always admire."
But Hinkley admitted axing leadership group member Darcy Byrne-Jones from his starting side to tackle the Swans was a wider statement.
Byrne-Jones is one of four players dumped, along with Tom Clurey, Lachie Jones and Riley Bonner, while goalsneak Orazio Fantasia is sidelined by a thigh strain.
Hinkley said Byrne-Jones was "mature enough" to handle being dropped.
"It's what you should do as a football club, you have to play well enough to own and hold your own spot in the team," he said.
"I think that is a strong message if you ask me.
"It's a disappointing decision for Darc mainly because Darc is a really proud player."
Port have won their past six games against the Swans, who dropped last week's substitute Matt Jones, but Hinkley said the streak was irrelevant.
"We have such respect for them, we understand that if we're nowhere near our absolute best that we're going to be up against it," he said.
"These scenarios can quickly change ... what has gone on in the last number of games doesn't really matter."
