Lade ready for grudge match

The digs are already flying thick and fast as Port Adelaide gets set to tackle a Power-influenced Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium at Launceston on Saturday.

Brendon Lade says Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson, who started with Port, is a 'small angry man' while former team-mate Stuart Dew was one of the competition's best sledgers.

The ruckman unleashed the nasty jibes in good humour; especially when quizzed about Clarkson's new three-year deal.

"Pity he didn't get a little bit of height too ... small, angry man," Lade quipped.

"But it's great for Clarko. He's been around the club through our premiership year and he was great around here and well done to him and his family.

"Hopefully we can upset his re-signing on Saturday."

Apart from Clarkson, fitness guru Andrew Russell and Geoff Morris are also graduates of Alberton. But it will be 2004 Premiership goal sneak Dew who'll draw the most attention as the left footer plays his old club for the first time.

Lade said it was hard seeing Dew in Hawks' colours.

"It already looks pretty funny, number 31, but it will be good to play against him, we've never had an opportunity to play against Dewy," he said.

"He knows all our strengths and weaknesses and we probably we know his too, so it's a bit of each way."

The 31-year-old said there would be plenty of words exchanged between Dew and his old team.

"He was one of the best (sledgers) when he was at our club so I'd assume he'd be the same and we've got some pretty good guys that can go straight back at him too and get some ammunition against him," he said.

"What's normally said out there stays out there."

Mind games aside, Lade said he was disappointed that Dew hadn't made his 2008 comeback in the Power guernsey.

"It would have been nice but fairytales don't always happen but I think Dewy is very happy at Hawthorn and I can't wait to play against him," he said.

The former Kangaroo Islander said Dew was 'definitely getting back' the skills that made him a cult hero down at Port.

"He's still kicking the ball 60-70 metres and he's lacing Buddy (Franklin) out a fair bit and Roughead," he said.

"Obviously we'll be trying to put a lot of pressure on him and hopefully he doesn't hit those targets because it makes our defenders' job pretty hard."