Port Adelaide and Fremantle will renew their long-running hostilities this week in a match that has a chance of becoming known as the "Josh Carr Cup".

Power coach Mark Williams has made no secret of his admiration for Carr, and will seriously consider bringing the 28-year-old former Port premiership tagger back to Alberton in the off-season.

However Dockers coach Mark Harvey responded angrily to Williams' most recent suggestion of interest, saying "the smart clubs" make such entreaties behind closed doors.

So there is likely to be plenty of edge to a game on Sunday that will otherwise carry little meaning in terms of premiership points.

Power midfielder Steve Salopek, outstanding against Adelaide on the weekend in his first game back from injury, said there was little doubt Carr would be at the forefront of any such scuffles.

"He's always one of those guys that you get into his ear and he gets into yours," he said.

"That's the great thing about Josh; he's a terrific competitor, but at the end of the game he's the type of guy to talk to you, see how you're going and shake your hand.

"That's why he's so well respected around the club and by our supporters."

Salopek and Carr are firm friends, but Salopek left it up to the Port hierarchy to make the call on whether he would fit into the on-field scheme of things next year.

"Our midfield at the moment has got a good structure and is playing very, very well," he said.

"I suppose it's the coaches' decision to see whether Josh can fit into our midfield.

"We've got some terrific young guys doing the role he has done when he was a premiership player with us. We've got Adam Thomson, Tom Logan and Greg Bentley that can do that role as well.

"It's up to the coaches and that's why they get paid the big bucks."

The Power and Dockers have a recent history of ill-tempered stoushes, the enmity coinciding more or less with Carr's return home to Perth at the end of 2004.

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