Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams gave his firmest indication he will stay at the Power until the club no longer wants him as senior coach.

Speculation about Williams' future never seems far away, and has ramped up in recent weeks due to Port's poor year and his own oft-stated desire to try his hand elsewhere in the future.

Williams is contracted for 2009 and is yet to start negotiations over any kind of extension, but said his first choice would always be to remain coach of Port Adelaide, the club of his legendary father Fos.

Whenever it does occur, the severing of ties between Williams and Alberton is likely to be a difficult process.

"I've had a fantastic relationship with our club, our people, it's been great and it's been 12 years now that I've been at the club, ever since it opened its door," Williams said.

"I understand times come in football, and if the club decides it's time to go and it's not for me, they'll look around and I'll look around, and that's where it is.

"But my choice, if you ask me, is to stay here and get the club back to where I'd like to see it at the top of the ladder."

Port are likely to unveil their new chief executive this week, and his rapport with the senior coach would appear one factor in whether or not Williams stays beyond next year.

"It's really entirely up to the club (when the contract is negotiated)," he said.

"I've got another year of my contract to go and over the last 12 years, three of them we've finished top and we've won a premiership, they never negotiated my contract any time prior to that (the end of the existing deal), so I can't imagine they would do it now."

The Power are headed for the worst year in their AFL history, being unable to match the win tallies of 2000 or 2006.

However Williams was defiant in maintaining the Power are much better placed now than they were then.

"We're much better than we were two years ago," he said.

"Our players have some experience, they've got a little older, the results might not show that but certainly we don't think we're as bad as the position on the ladder is.

"But we're not going to complain and say anything about that, it's only up to us to prove that from now on."

Power backman Michael Pettigrew will not be available for the final two games of the year after having arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

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