PORT Adelaide lost its fourth-quarter invincibility on Sunday against North Melbourne, but that had nothing to do with injuries to Angus Monfries and Chad Wingard, according to coach Ken Hinkley.

 

After booting seven final-quarter goals in each of their first two matches, the hard-running Power could manage just two against the Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium and lost their first game of the season by seven points.   

 

Monfries was substituted with a hamstring injury early in the third quarter and Wingard needed attention for a rolled ankle shortly after but was able to play out the match.

 

Hinkley said Monfries was likely to miss three to four matches, while Wingard would be assessed ahead of next Saturday's clash against the Brisbane Lions at Adelaide Oval. 

 

However, the coach said injuries were not to blame for his team's inability to hold on against the desperate Roos, who kicked five of the last six goals to storm home.

 

"We had plenty of rotations left so we could have rotated a little bit more if we had wanted to, but I don't think that was the issue," Hinkley said.

 

"It was their pressure and we didn't handle it as well as we would have liked.

 

"We know that we run hard, and I think we were still pretty hard-running at the end, even for our blokes.

 

They were just more efficient, there's no doubt about that … they definitely finished stronger."

 

Wingard was used "as much as we could" in the fourth quarter but had just two possessions for the term, and Hinkley said the club would not take a risk with the All Australian against the Lions if he was under any cloud.

 

With Kangaroos midfielders Ben Cunnington, Levi Greenwood, Sam Gibson and Nick Dal Santo all winning 30 or more possessions, he said the Power had not done enough to control their opponents.

 

"We just gave up too much ball today and we're not going to be able to control a class side like the Kangaroos if we concede that much ball to them," Hinkley said.

 

"They were really good in tight and basically got on top of us with their pressure around the ball and kept running to the end.

 

"I think we added to some of our own problems. The game went in swings a little bit and the last quarter today was for them."

 

Hinkley said he was pleased with the form of his key defenders, particularly Alipate Carlile, who kept Drew Petrie goalless and to just four possessions.

 

"I think we conceded maybe one goal to their tall forwards," he said, with key targets Aaron Black and Daniel Currie also well held.  

 

"That was an area that we were probably a little bit mindful of, but our tall backs have been in good form."