Coach Ken Hinkley and Port Adelaide under the spotlight after damaging showdown loss to Adelaide leaves them winless

Port Adelaide midfielder Karl Amon has defended under-fire coach Ken Hinkley, as criticism mounted after the team's showdown loss to local rivals Adelaide. 

The team is at a low point aftergiving up a three-goal lead in the final quarter and lose to a kick after the siren from Jordan Dawson.

The Crows and their fans celebrated after the win — their first of the season — while the Power suffered their third straight loss in 2022.

Asked about the pressure on Hinkley, Amon defended his coach. 

«I think from our perspective, it's not all on Ken,» he said.

«It's on the playing group, the coaching group; we know we haven't had the start we want this year.

»We can't leave that to Ken, it comes back to the entire football club, really."

Hinkley signed a two-year extension to his contract in January 2021, keeping him at Alberton to the end of 2023.

However, after a winless start to 2022, the Power now have to back up on Thursday against the unbeaten defending premiers Melbourne, followed by the high-flying Carlton the week after.

Port Adelaide are facing the prospect of being 0-5 within a fortnight, with the team's finals expectations all but gone, leaving Hinkley's future in doubt.

Former Port Adelaide SANFL player and coach (and Brisbane Bears player) Stephen Williams agreed on the ABC broadcast post-game that it wasn't a good situation for Hinkley.

«There's pressure on every coach and if you're a coach of a side that's expected to contend (for the flag) and you lose the first three games, of course there's pressure,» he said.

«But Port Adelaide will have to lick their wounds now and come back.

»We've seen Port Adelaide's tall defenders really aren't standing up.

«For [Lachlan] Gallant to kick four, and [Elliott] Himmelberg to kick four.