PORT ADELAIDE is focused on nothing other than winning on Friday night against Essendon to keep its faint finals hopes alive, according to coach Ken Hinkley.

The Power has slipped outside the top eight heading into the last game of the home and away season and needs to win and hope for Gold Coast to beat Geelong to sneak back in.

Port has had a difficult month of football, losing three of its last four matches including two by less than a goal.

He’s also lost several players to injury, including key forward Charlie Dixon.

Compounding Hinkley’s concerns is his side’s inability of late to kick a winning score.

But the Power coach has backed his team to get the job done against the Bombers and stay in the finals hunt.

“First and foremost, we go there on Friday night and give it a crack, you know, don’t die wondering,” he said on Adelaide radio program Sportsday SA.

“That group, if they can bring better form to the table, we know they can bring better scoring.

“We understand our challenges but we’ll give Essendon what we’ve got and we’ll give them a bloody good game.”

Hinkley said his side had been reactive to its opposition in recent weeks, particularly at stoppages.

He said he wanted to see more aggression in trying to win the ball first.

And he ranked Essendon as one of the best side’s he’d seen play this year.

“It’s going to be a red-hot game, we know that,” Hinkley said.

“Their speed and their movement of ball, I think they’ve won eight out of their last ten, they’re as good as any.

“Right now, if there was a side to challenge the top two that are in there, maybe if Essendon was in there they’d be one of those teams that could provide the challenge.

“I went and watched them play last week and I think Essendon are playing as well as any side I’m seeing play currently.”

The Power had been on course for a top four finish five weeks ago before a late-season dip in form.

Hinkley said a review of what went wrong will be done, but not while the season was still alive.

“We’ve got too much still on the go for us to spend too much time reflecting just now,” he said.

“When it’s all done completely and finished we’ll reflect on all that stuff then but right now we’ve got a big game that we’ve got to get ready for on Friday night.

“You deal with emotional wins and losses every week and we have an obligation to turn up on Friday night and play the best footy we possibly can play.

“And hopefully we can show Port Adelaide people for a little bit longer, but for one last time at Adelaide Oval this year that we’ve got plenty to play for.”

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