Port Adelaide's bid to make history on Saturday afternoon will take place without a familiar face after Ken Hinkley made the call to drop captain Tom Jonas from his senior side.
Jonas' form has been something of an elephant in the room at Alberton, with the veteran stopper failing to fire so far in 2023, averaging just 7.1 disposals and three marks across his eight appearances at AFL level.
However, with his side at large on a surge and no direct match-up for the key defender, Hinkley has opted to drop the 32-year-old ahead of Port's intriguing clash against Hawthorn.
"It is a big call, it's a significant call, but it's a call of a team that's in really good form and is really consistent with our behaviours," Hinkley said on Thursday.
"We don't seperate anyone, whether it be a captain or a first-year player. The opportunity to play comes about through form and performance."
Hinkley added that the ability for Jonas to earn touch in the twos was something the selfless veteran would likely relish.
"It'll be good for Tom to run around and have a kick with the Magpies. It'll be a great opportunity for him, as a leader of the club, to lead a young team.
"He understands the team is going really well, and he would never put himself ahead of the team, regardless of his position. He's very accepting of what's going on.
"He also knows it's good for him, to go back and have a game and get some form and make sure he's in good nick when he comes back in."
While a fixture between sides sitting on the 2nd and 16th rungs would never normally pique much interest, the Power enters the clash on the crest of an eight-game winning wave - an equal AFL-era record for the club.
Should Hinkley's charges surge on Saturday, it would create a new high watermark for in-season consistency at the club at a time in which the coach's future remains ambiguous, with Port powerbrokers steadfast that any decision on Hinkley's tenure would not be made until August at the earliest.
Elsewhere at Alberton, Port's chances of knocking off the Hawks look likely to receive a welcome boost, with twinned offensive pillars Charlie Dixon and Todd Marshall looming likely to run out on Saturday.
As first reported by 9News' Josh Money, the spearheads appear set to make their first appearance as a tandem since Round 8.
Small-forward Orazio Fantasia will also make his return from injury, however, his pathway back to Hinkley's offensive unit will require time spent in the SANFL
The news was not joyous for former captain Travis Boak as the midfielder is still yet to fully recover from a shot to the ribs sustained during the Power's Round 10 win over Melbourne.
Port and Hawthorn will lock horns at the Adelaide Oval in the early timeslot of 1:45pm (AEST) at the Adelaide Oval, while Jonas and Fantasia will don the famous Prison Bars when the Port Adelaide Magpies host Woodville-West Torrens at Alberton on Sunday.