If you're at Port Adelaide and aged over 30, you had better be playing well quick smart or your days are numbered.

Decorated trio Brendon Lade (31), Peter Burgoyne (30) and Michael Wilson (31) all fit the above description and Power coach Mark Williams has confirmed they would be under the gun in coming weeks as Port attempt to get as much youth as possible into the first 22.

Williams gave up on Port's finals campaign after their narrow loss to Richmond on Saturday.

The change of philosophy will now see a raft of little-known players take precedence over some older, more familiar names for the rest of 2008.

Burgoyne at least will miss this week's visit to Darwin to play the Western Bulldogs due to a hamstring strain.

"Certainly going forward we will be progressing down the path and, given the players are playing well in the SANFL, they'll get an opportunity to play ... with the view of building a side for a couple of years' time," Williams said.

"(Lade, Wilson and Burgoyne's) future certainly won't be discussed here or decided on until the end of the year but if they're not playing well they won't be in the side."

Also at the forefront of Port's thinking is the sore knee of 29-year-old utility Chad Cornes, who had MRI scans on Monday to help Port's medical staff decide whether he needs surgery to correct a lateral cartilage problem.

"Chad had scans this morning with a view to comparing it to a couple of years ago when his knee was initially hurt, it's not all that much different so it doesn't make it clearer," Williams said.

"He won't train Wednesday and we'll make a decision on Thursday whether he plays or not.

"... if you're having medial or lateral cartilage (problems), the lateral is the one that gives the most trouble in recovery, so do they do it or not?

"They probably err on not doing it if they can get away with it."

This week, the likes of Fabian Deluca, Marlon Motlop, Nathan Krakouer and Greg Bentley will be close to selection, while older back-up types Damon White and Nathan Lonie may be picked to help determine whether they'll be retained.

However Williams denied the concept of closing up shop for the year and planning for the future should be construed as "tanking".

"People who know me certainly know I go to win and it's exactly the truth, anyone who gets a game is out there to win and we're picking it with a view of winning," he said.

"The opportunity for anyone to get into the side is certainly increased now than what it was before and we really look with interest because those guys come in with so much energy and enthusiasm to show what they can do."

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