The Dogs will depart Melbourne, where the mercury is tipped to reach just 15 degrees, for the balmy 30-degree warmth of the Top End on Thursday for Saturday's game.
Over the past three weeks, the players have been subject to twice-weekly bike sessions at Victoria University in heat chambers in preparation for the trip north.
Coach Rodney Eade said the players would benefit from Thursday's departure and the heat training, but ultimately would have to adapt to the conditions on the run.
"It's going to be warm, it was 33 degrees the other day and it's going to 31, 32 during the day and we play early at night, just after sunset," he said.
"It's going to be warm and nothing really prepares you for that.
"We've done some heat acclimatisation in the last three weeks, which does help as we've done that the last couple of years.
"It's certainly foreign to the conditions we've got here at the moment. It's obviously very cold but we're comfortable playing up there and we enjoy it.
"The players are looking forward to playing in some warm weather. To be able to get up there and train, we're going on Thursday, and I think the players are just looking forward to the warmth."
He also said the Dogs would give their players the option of wearing gloves and/or sweatbands during the match, as the added sheen on the ball made it hard to grasp.
"We'll have a look at the gloves and sweatbands and those sorts of things, because the main thing isn't dew at that time of the year, it's going to be sweat onto your hands," he said.
"That's up to the individual's preference, and we'll advise them and talk to them about that but it's up to them."
Eade says the Dogs are looking forward to returning to another interstate base they've built a solid supporter network on, which he believes gives them a slight edge over Port Adelaide.
"We've played Port three of those five times up there, and this will be four out of the six," he said.
"Port like playing there as well, they've got a lot of Indigenous boys in their squad, but from our point of view, the players enjoy the ground and they enjoy going up there.
"We've done a lot of community work up there and the local people seem to embrace us, which is great."
