PORT Adelaide's injury woes have been compounded by a hamstring injury to young defender Ryan Burton during Saturday night’s Showdown, but coach Ken Hinkley believes his depleted side can still match it with the competition's best.  

Burton came off the ground early in the first term and completed a couple of run-throughs along the boundary line before deciding he wouldn't be able to return.

The defender didn't train on Thursday, but was given the all clear to play in Showdown 46.

CROWS SURVIVE POWER SCARE Full match coverage and stats

It caps off a shocking injury run for the Power, which will be without co-captain Ollie Wines for at least a month after he suffered a fractured fibula against Collingwood last week.

Fellow co-captain Tom Jonas has missed a third straight game with a calf injury, while star forward Robbie Gray is still three weeks away with a broken hand.

Hinkley said he would wait for scans to determine the seriousness of Burton's injury, which he said caused a few headaches in the Port Adelaide coaching box.

"(It was) a small hamstring but just enough that it ruled him out of the game," Hinkley said.

"He was part of significant planning; he was going to take Betts. The injury obviously disorganises you and does a lot of other different things.

"You reshuffle a fair bit and that can sometimes disrupt you a bit too, but I think we were OK."

THE BIG TEASE Will the real Port Adelaide please stand up?

Despite the Powers' mounting injury toll, Hinkley said his side still had the personnel to cover the gaps and compete with any side in the competition.

"You've got some people missing, (you get) some great opportunities from other people. That's what happens every week," he said.

"I think the players we can put out there are capable – if we can play a more consistent game we can win games of football, there's no doubt."

On Saturday night, a sluggish Port Adelaide managed only 3.12 to three-quarter time and fell 44 points behind early in the final term.

But the Power staged an unlikely comeback, piling on five goals in a row to close to within 12 points before two late majors to the Crows sealed a 20-point win.

Hinkley said his side just weren't able to make the most of their opportunities.

"It was definitely a territory battle and we had plenty of opportunities to put scoreboard pressure on, but we just couldn't (get it done)," he said.

"To (Adelaide's) credit they finished a couple of times up in their font end better than we were capable of doing … it was a bit of an arm wrestle game."

WATCH Ken Hinkley's full post-match press conference

A key to Port Adelaide's late comeback was the move of defender Dougal Howard into the forward line.

Hinkley praised Howard's performance after he kicked two final-term goals and looked threatening.

"We know (Howard) can play some footy up the other end of the ground. He's got some weapons that make it challenging (for defenders)," Hinkley said.

"And at the moment we're just looking for someone that's able to have a bit more of an impact."

Find Trends on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify