Port Adelaide will go back to the tapes of 2016 to remember how to play without Paddy Ryder

PORT Adelaide will study the tapes from 2016 to learn how to play without a recognised ruckman as the Power seeks a response when facing Geelong at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

PORT Adelaide will study the tapes from 2016 to learn how to play without a recognised ruckman as the Power seeks a quick response when facing Geelong at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

Multiple club champion Robbie Gray is confident midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper will bring a boost to the midfield after serving a one-week club-imposed suspension.

The Power has been hit with the uncomfortable news that there is no clear timeline on Ryder’s return — he is struggling with Achilles tendinitis — but Gray said the club had coped before and needed to revisit those times.

Ryder was out for all of 2016 when he was banned because of the Essendon supplements scandal and Port Adelaide found a way to be competitive without its key ruckman.

Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard celebrate a goal.

“Ideally, Paddy would be out there but we went through that a few years ago when he had a year off,” Gray said.

“The numbers stacked up OK on the weekend; we just didn’t stand up under pressure as much as we would have liked.

“To Essendon’s credit they put an enormous amount of pressure on us and we coughed the footy up a bit.

“We certainly refer back to it. You have to change some things — Paddy had a super year last year.

“It’s a massive game for us.

“We just want to respond after the disappointing performance on the weekend.

“Geelong is a super team and have been for a long time so it’s going to be a good challenge.”

Gray was confident Powell-Pepper was ready to play after serving a his suspension, provided he is cleared for misconduct by an AFL investigation.

Powell-Pepper and Gray were both at Adelaide Oval No. 2 yesterday with families of the Australian Defence Force for a football clinic and Gray spoke highly of how Powell-Pepper had handled himself during his suspension.

He would be a welcome addition to the midfield, which struggled to get enough of the ball in the club’s loss to Essendon on the weekend.

“We love having him out there — his contested ball work and the pressure he puts on the opposition,” Gray said.

“He’s handled it as well as he could have, I suppose.

“Like you said it’s been really tough, all the attention on him, but he’s copped his week’s suspension and he’s got to move on now and get on with things.”

Gray, who had 39 disposals against the Bombers, said “Pep’s” suspension had been a valuable lesson.

From here, there should be no doubt among any of the players were the boundaries are when it comes to late nights on the town.

“We set standards around the club and he was out too late,” Gray said.

“That’s all I can say really speak about because that’s all we know at the moment.

“He was out too late and we dealt with that like we would with any other player.

“He knows the standards that we set so hopefully nothing like that happens again.”