KEN HINKLEY does not believe Port Adelaide failed the physical challenge laid down to it by Alastair Clarkson, but accepts his side was outplayed by Hawthorn in the third term of Thursday's clash at Adelaide Oval.

The Power fell to top-placed Hawthorn by 22 points and are now all but certain to be spectators come finals for a second season in a row.

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Hawthorn coach Clarkson threw down the challenge to Port pre-game, suggesting the Power had not been consistently tough enough over the past two seasons.

Clarkson’s Hawks went into the match having lost three of their past four games against Port and his comments were a clear drawing of the battle lines.

Hinkley’s side stood up to a physical Hawthorn for a half but was pushed aside in the the third term and was slightly flattered by the final margin.

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Hinkley was immediately challenged about whether his side had stood up to the physicality of Hawthorn and said he believed it did.

"I thought bar one quarter it was a pretty solid game of football with two teams going pretty hard at each other, and in the end their ability in the third quarter was what won it for them,” Hinkley said.

"They got some centre bounce ascendency, they got some territory, they kicked the ball off the ground quite a bit tonight.

"They had a pretty strong method around the footy and they were able to get it forward.

WATCH: Ken Hinkley's full post-match media conference

"Once they get set up in their front half they are hard to penetrate back the other way.

"We went on the field against a great opponent. We knew that there were going to be some challenges and I thought we didn’t go away from those challenges … we forced them to play some of their better football."

Port has now slipped to 7-8 and could be three games plus percentage outside the top eight at the end of the round.

Hinkley said the match in many ways summed up the club’s seasons to date.

"It says that our best is around the mark but if you don’t do it consistently you’re not going to beat the best," he said.

He refused to rule out finals but said he looked forward to learning more about his side, which will face four more top eight teams in the final seven rounds.

"It’s going to be a good opportunity for us to experience real pressure, because I think those sides will see us as a significant challenge, they’ll want to play at their best … We’re not giving the season away,” he said.

Port lost Brad Ebert to an internal injury during the second term. The midfielder was taken to hospital for observation after coughing up blood after he landed heavily from a mark. Hinkley did not believe the injury played a significant part in the result.