Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says ridding his outfit of inconsistency is his priority.

Port's finals aspirations hang by a thread entering Sunday's crucial encounter against Hawthorn.

The clash looms as season-defining: both clubs are perched on eight wins each, meaning the losers of the AAMI Stadium fixture face the likely prospect of missing the finals.

While the result and its implications hang heavy, Williams says he's more focussed on fixing the glaring problem with his side: inconsistency.

The Power has won consecutive games just once this year (in rounds three and four) in a trend which has Williams perplexed.

"You can be a down club on the way up, or a top club just cruising along," Williams said.

"But we're up and down so much that it's difficult to get a line on exactly what is going on.

"You can come up with a thousand different reasons, but the consistency has been sub-standard.

"We'll continually try and address that, and whether we make the finals or not, we want to make sure we address that inconsistency."

Williams has axed two underperforming senior players - forward Brett Ebert and onballer Steven Salopek - for the pivotal clash against Hawthorn, recalling ruckman Dean Brogan and utility Matt Thomas.

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