Not Chad Wingard. The Port Adelaide star is one of the major heart beats of his side, whether that be with flash and skill inside attacking 50 or, as has become more the case, in the midfield. But if anyone thinks Wingard's on-field dash is what makes him tick, think again.

"One hundred per cent. Definitely. I value a person over a footballer, to be honest. I think the person you are is what people look up to," he told Fairfax Media.

"People have their teams and who they support but it's really the individuals and the person you are who people really look up to. I think that's what I try and pride myself on - to be the best person I can be and just help as many people as I can."

It's through his work with Head Space, the national youth mental health foundation, that Wingard takes immense pride. In particular, he spends time once a fortnight helping Yarn Safe, the first youth-led national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health campaign, urging young people to come forward to discuss problems impacting on their mental health and wellbeing.

"I love doing that and giving back to the community, obviously giving back to my Aboriginal community and all the communities around there. I believe heavily in Head Space. They do a lot of great things. The people that volunteer there, I look up to them," he said.

Wingard lives with his father Trevor and brother in Adelaide. He is the middle child of a family with brothers either side, plus four foster siblings. He hails from Murray Bridge, which is Ngarrindjeri land.

For a 23-year-old, he is clearly a deep thinker. "I am 24-7 off-field at the moment. I only switch on [football-wise] on game day. It's my way, how I cope with it, how I use it," he said.

His deeds on the football field help to provide the profile to complete his work off it. But the manner in which he praises the work of Paul Vandenbergh, the Power's director of Aboriginal programs, confirms his true values.

A fortnight out from the AFL's annual Sir Doug Nicholls round, Wingard has made it clear he believes more clubs need specialist indigenous officers - only West Coast, North Melbourne, Gold Coast and Melbourne have filled this role. He also knows that it's by having more overall leaders where a positive impact can also be made.

"We need a lot more of them to lead the way. Obviously, we have Paulie Vandenbergh ,who is an absolute gun at that. He is one of the guys all the players look up to and want to be like. We need more Paulies, we need more Paddy Ryders - guys that can just stand up and be looked up to," he said.

Having completed a diploma in educational support, Wingard has already begun thinking about life post-football. That could include a coaching role in the sport he provides so much enjoyment to but, at this stage, will certainly include a mentoring or teaching component outside of the game.

"There is a big call for male teachers, or male role models, and the teaching aspect. Hopefully, that's the way I go," he said.

In the meantime, Wingard appreciates there is on-field work to be done. Having spent the summer training with the midfield group, Wingard has flourished with the added responsibility of spending more time in the heat of the battle this year.

He may not live and breathe football as many do but the manner in which he locked in on midfield coach Michael Voss at training in Shanghai shows a man keen to develop his craft.

Coach Ken Hinkley said the challenge is for Wingard to become a consistent midfield force.

"It's certainly been pretty positive for us over the last couple of weeks. Is that sustainable? Chad needs to do that over a long period of time. It's what the great midfielders have been able to do," he said.

"Obviously, it allows us some great flexibility with him and Robbie Gray to play in different roles."

Sunday's historic clash at Jiangwan Stadium could pit him against the marvel that is Gary Ablett. But in an era where team meetings can be exhaustive, Wingard declared he doesn't "put too much time into the opposition".

An All-Australian in 2015 for a second time when he averaged 19 disposals and booted 53 goals, Wingard last year lacked the same grunt (38 goals, 15.4 disposals a game), in part of because of injury or concussion. This year he is averaging 21 disposals - he had 31 against Brisbane a fortnight ago and 34 against the Eagles last week - and has 10 goals. He would again be in All-Australian chatter.

He said he worked diligently on "injury management" over summer, and has also shed mental baggage.

"Last year I had a lot of stuff off-field that I let get in the way. I had a lot of stresses. I let that get to me," he said.

"This year I kind of got rid of all that stress, all that baggage I had on me last year, and it's allowed me to just play my game open-minded, just being 'there' on game day rather than being somewhere else."

Whether it's on the field or off it, Wingard understands the benefits of a mind free in spirit.