Just as Port Adelaide's Charlie Dixon builds towards an AFL comeback, his teammates are learning to succeed without him.
Key forward Dixon, yet to play this season after ankle surgery, is targeting a return before the May 29 mid-season bye.
"Without Charlie there, it has been different in our (forward) structure," Port attacker Todd Marshall told reporters on Tuesday.
"But we are learning now.
"And when we play as we did on the weekend, it is easier for us to hit the scoreboard."
Goalsneak Orazio Fantasia also hasn't featured this year because of knee surgery but is expected to join some drills at training this week.
Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson kicked five goals each in an 84-point thrashing of West Coast and while Mitch Georgiades only scored one, he took eight marks.
Port's first victory this season followed a review of a three-point loss to Carlton which Marshall described as intense.
The loss to the Blues ensured Port's worst-ever start to a season - five straight losses.
"We reviewed the Carlton game pretty heavy," Marshall said.
"It was probably the longest meeting I have been involved in at the club.
"We went over all the finer details and know what we expect from each other as a playing group and the standard we want to set.
"On the weekend, we delivered on that.
"We spoke this morning how that is the bare minimum now and to keep that as our standard and keep going from there.
"It has been a long time coming this year ... but it is a lot better coming on a Monday after a win, it's a lot more positive around the club.
"It was the way we played and the way we did it for four quarters."
Without Dixon, Marshall is attracting the opposition's best tall defender.
While the 61-gamer also feasted with five goals in a post-siren loss to Adelaide, it has been famine in four other games for just one goal.
"I have found some internal belief but I want to do it consistently," Marshall said.
"I haven't had a good stretch of three or four games where I have put some goals or some marks on the board.
"For me, that is the main thing at the moment, to get more consistency in my game and to do it against the big boy defenders has made for a good challenge."
