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Star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield is one of four key inclusions for Geelong in their heavyweight AFL clash with Port Adelaide.

Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield headlines four key Geelong inclusions for Thursday night's AFL fixture against Port Adelaide.

Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan, Mark Blicavs and Mark O'Connor will all return from respective injuries for the Adelaide Oval clash.

But midfielder Cam Guthrie will miss another match because of a shoulder ailment.

Dangerfield (ankle) hasn't played since round five, O'Connor (hamstring) has been sidelined since round six while Blicavs (calf) and Duncan (concussion) have missed one match.

"That has been a really difficult situation for us to manage," Geelong coach Chris Scott told reporters on Wednesday.

"Not so much bringing those guys in, because they are ready and they have had a good preparation.

"It's more that we have had some guys in the team who we have been happy with that are going to have to make way.

"The one that is most obvious there ... Quinton Narkle has been squeezed out of our 22 and that is a desperately unfortunate situation for him in the short term.

"I can't see him being out of the team long given the way he has been playing.

"But my old coach often said that it's rare that players are unlucky. I think this is one of those rarities."

Along with Narkle, Rhys Stanley, Zach Guthrie, Max Holmes and last game's medical substitute Jordan Clark were dropped.

Scott said Dangerfield wouldn't be restricted in game-time against the Power despite lengthy absences this season - he was suspended for three games from a round-one incident and, on return, injured an ankle which required surgery.

"The bye probably came at a good time for him, it would have been a harder decision to play him if we had a game last week," Scott said.

"I suspect he would have come up for that one but the fact that he had an extra week of training under his belt with his teammates, which is important as well because bringing some new players back into the team does potentially cause some disruption.

"It's one that, in principle, you could say if you bring four or five players back into a team it could cause some disruption.

"But the detail and nuance is important. They are important players for us, they clearly demand a spot in our best 22 when fit."

Port made one change, with Orazio Fantasia unavailable after knee surgery and Boyd Woodcock recalled, though only to fill the medical substitute role.