Ruckman Dean Brogan hopes the fear of the wooden spoon, and not his farewell AFL game, will motivate Port Adelaide against Melbourne.

Brogan will end a unique career when he retires after Sunday's match as the only sportsman to win an AFL premiership and NBL title.

The 32-year-old will play against the Demons despite missing Port's past nine matches with a calf injury.

The Power will claim their first wooden spoon with a loss to Melbourne but could avoid the ignominy if they win and Gold Coast lose to Hawthorn.

"I don't want to finish with a wooden spoon, it's nothing to be proud of," Brogan told reporters on Thursday.

"It's not going to be great if we lose, trust me, we're all talking about we don't want to finish bottom."

Brogan, who won an NBL championship with the Adelaide 36ers in 1998 and an AFL flag with Port in 2004, didn't want his final match to be used for motivation.

"I just want to slip into the team and go about my business," he said.

"As much as it is my last game, it's good for me and my family, but the reality is it's a big game for the club ... this game is bigger than me this weekend."

Brogan expected to play a bit part in the first AFL match staged at Adelaide Oval.

"It has been a long time since I have played so I don't go out there looking to set the world on fire," he said.

"I'll give effort and do the best I can.

"I doubt I'll be playing a full game so probably most of the game will be on emotion and adrenalin so that will get me through a game I would imagine."

The 173-game veteran conceded Port, with just two wins in their worst ever season, needed a heap of hard work to rise up the ladder next year.

"You just don't realise, with the position we're in now, how hard it is to actually not only make finals but to actually win a final," he said.

"You look at Collingwood, and they did it tough for a long time and they finally got it right and persisted and recruited well.

"It goes around in cycles.

"Right at the moment we all know where we are and no one is happy about it."

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