Armed with belief following its impressive victory over Melbourne, St Kilda will be set on replicating the same aggressive style of play against Port Adelaide come Saturday afternoon.

The Saints haven’t beaten the Power since Round 16 2011, but they’ve come close, with last year’s agonising two-point loss undoubtedly at the forefront of St Kilda minds.

The architect of their undoing in the final seconds of that game will be the primary focus in Alan Richardson’s war room this week, with the Saints devising ways to curtail Robbie Gray.

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Gray has inflicted pain in almost every encounter against St Kilda – with 14 majors and an average of 22.7 disposals against his name – and will be intent on doing so again.

2018 fares no differently for the 30-year-old, whose knack for tearing opposition sides apart has seen him lead the Power’s goalkicking (26).

Jarryn Geary will be the likely candidate to rein in Gray, with the skipper sublime in his return last week and influential in leading the back six, who will be without both Nathan Brown and Jake Carlisle.

Brown’s replacement in Logan Austin will be determined to fire against his old club, while Sam Gilbert has been impressive for Sandringham in recent weeks.

While Gray has been lurking up forward in recent times, booting 14 goals from his past five matches, the subsequent transition of Chad Wingard to the midfield has been a masterstroke.

Wingard has played his best matches there over the past month, with his pace and flair a dangerous addition to the already bullish Power mids.

Driven primarily by Ollie Wines, Tom Rockliff and Travis Boak, Port’s central line-up has become a dreaded force given their sheer physicality and aggression.

Their dominance is indicative not only of their intimidating presence, but also the fact they lead the league this season for tackles (1014) and clearances (588).

Wines has been Port’s clearance king, with an average of six per game thanks to his brute strength and the silver service of All Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder.

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Port’s unsung defence has been equally pivotal and will be reinforced by the inclusion of Tom Jonas, who leads the Power for marks (104) and has been resolute down back all season.

The Power won’t need to worry about Josh Bruce after he sustained an injury at training yesterday, but will still have their hands full with in-form livewire Jade Gresham.

Gunning for three consecutive wins – a feat which hasn’t been achieved since Rounds 13-15 last season – St Kilda will be determined to give the Power more than a challenge on their home deck.