Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says his team's form isn't up to scratch, and concedes the inclusion of some key players won't be enough to get them "out of jail".
The Power sunk to their second straight defeat on Sunday in a 22-point defeat to GWS.
It marked Port's fourth loss from their past eight games, consigning them to seventh on the ladder with an 8-5 record.
Hinkley took a gamble by dropping out-of-form forwards Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson for the match.
Mitch Georgiades was strong in short patches with three goals, and Todd Marshall looked dangerous in parts but was wasteful with 1.3.
Ollie Lord looked out of his depth with 0.0 from just four disposals.
Hinkley may not have the option of recalling Dixon for Saturday's crunch home clash with Brisbane after the key forward concussed an opponent with a heavy bump while playing in the SANFL.
Finlayson has a chance to earn a recall if Hinkley opts for experience, while goalsneak Willie Rioli (calf) could also be available in what would be a huge boost.
But Hinkley knows it's more than just his forward line that needs addressing, with the Power lacking their usual spark over the past two months.
"We're not just going to get out of jail with one or two pieces, we've got to get the collective in good form," Hinkley said.
"We haven't had them in really good form for a little period of time.
"I don't think that's a surprise with what we're seeing in the competition.
"There's teams who are a little bit too up and down, and there's one team (Sydney) who are clearly up all the time. That's the challenge."
Port Adelaide kicked a wayward 6.15 (51) against GWS, costing them the chance for victory.
They also made uncharacteristic skill errors and lacked their usual buzz.
"Coming off a bye, it looked like a bit of a lethargic team," Hinkley said.
"We didn't look as sharp as we needed to look.
"We need to own that ourselves and get back to being prepared to run and take the game on a little bit more."
