PORT Adelaide is set to be short of key defenders against Essendon next weekend after Jackson Trengove and Alipate Carlile were injured in the Power's Showdown loss to Adelaide on Sunday.
Trengove appeared to seriously hurt his ankle late in the second term when he was assisted from the field in the arms of the trainers, only to emerge after the break and warm up with his teammates.
He was subbed out of the game though, becoming the fifth Power player to suffer an ankle injury this year.
Carlile's hamstring injury was more innocuous but Hinkley said the club's six-day break meant he'd likely miss next weekend's game.
"That's a pretty big loss when you consider they're two tall backs," Hinkley said.
"Yes, it'll cause some restricting issues but we'll be OK with that.
"[Trengove] is probably like the other ankles – one, two weeks, until we actually get scans and stuff you won't know.
"In a six-day break you'd suggest both blokes are going to be missing."
Hinkley described the side's 23-point loss as a "timely reminder" for his players that anything less than their best will be punished at the elite level.
He said Trengove's injury hurt, as did the 2.11 Port kicked in the second and third quarters. However, he blamed the loss primarily on being outworked by the Crows.
Adelaide won contested possession 163-133, highlighting its superior desire.
"Their overall work rate as a team over the course of the night beat us – that was the most important thing – they outworked us," he said.
"We pride ourselves on working hard ... it's just a really timely reminder that you've got to keep working hard.
"Let's not dismiss the Adelaide Football Club…everyone who watches them at their absolute best knows they're a very capable side."
The loss also knocked Port off top spot, with Hawthorn taking over as the competition's highest-ranked team.
Despite the surrender of top spot, Hinkley avoided overplaying the ramifications of Sunday's eye-opener.
"That's our biggest loss for the year and it was three or four goals – it still wasn't a disaster for us as far the way that we played," he said.
"But we know we didn't perform at the level we have to to beat AFL football sides."
