PORT ADELAIDE wants to win, regardless of what remains on the line at high noon on Sunday at Adelaide Oval against non-finalist Richmond.
"Every team going into a finals preparation wants to play well leading into that first final," Hinkley said at Adelaide Oval on Saturday morning.
"We are not taking any chances (by flirting with form).
"We want to make sure we have our players in the best shape they can be ... and we are playing a Richmond team that is coming with more youth than it has had in the past couple of weeks. They will be genuinely excited.
"So there could still be a fair bit on the table when we get here (on Sunday)."
Port Adelaide will finish the 23-game home-and-away series with its third top-four finish of the past four seasons. But unlike 2020 and 2021, a home qualifying final appears out of reach - even if Port Adelaide claims its 17th win for the season.
Port Adelaide started the captain's run training session at Adelaide Oval with top spot claimed by Collingwood with its Friday night win against Essendon.
Port Adelaide will begin the game on Sunday knowing if second-ranked Brisbane has left the door open to claiming home rights to the other qualifying final.
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If Port Adelaide remains third, as expected, it will open the final series with a qualifying final against Brisbane at the Gabba in Brisbane.
"Whatever happens on Sunday will not affect how we feel at the start of finals," Hinkley said. "Ideally, you go in winning - and we want to go into this finals series in good shape. Winning three games in a row would be a good space for us."
At selection on Thursday evening, Port Adelaide had kept the 23 who beat Fremantle at Perth Stadium on Sunday, but have moved former captain Travis Boak to the starting 22 and defender Dylan Williams to the tactical substitute seat.
At the captain's run on Saturday morning, key forward Todd Marshall was ruled out with hip soreness. Jase Burgoyne will be recalled from the SANFL into the squad as an emergency.
Hinkley is dismissing any late rethink on defender Ryan Burton who was subbed out of the Fremantle win with a bruising knock to a knee.
"It was a simple knock to Ryan's knee; he is fine," Hinkley said.
"We won't take any chance with anyone (as highlighted with Marshall).
"We are preparing to finish the season well - and also looking to be in good shape (for next month's top-eight finals series). We also have a bye next week when we will have the opportunity to make sure everyone is in as good a shape as they possibly can be.
"I doubt at this time of the year that missing two hours of football will make that big a difference to someone in two weeks' time."
Hinkley offered these key notes on Saturday morning:
RUCK OPTIONS: All four ruckmen - Sam Hayes to play against Richmond; Dante Visentini, Brynn Teakle and Scott Lycett in the SANFL against Central District - were named at selection on Thursday.
Lycett is returning after knee surgery with his time on the park this weekend to be managed.
"It is important Scott Lycett playing at Elizabeth (on Saturday)," Hinkley said. "It will be a great build-up for him. He has returned as quick as he could from surgery. He is giving us an option for the first week of the finals. He is capable of adding to our side.
"Sam Hayes has been carrying a shoulder, Dante Visentini is coming back from a quad strain; so we were not sure at selection on Thursday as to how they would be.
INJURY UPDATE: Key forward Charlie Dixon and key defender Trent McKenzie remain on track to a return for finals after being sidelined with leg injuries.
"Charlie and Trent, we hope will play for us during the next month," Hinkley said.
Hinkley is prepared to usher both players into AFL finals once fit.
"They are proven to be pretty solid pieces of our team," Hinkley said. "We are not going to rush them. They are going to have every chance to be ready for that first final. Whether they get up is still to be seen."
TOM JONAS: Port Adelaide's captain this week announced he would retire at the end of this season's campaign.
"Let's not forecast Tom's finish date because that is not known to anyone at this time," Hinkley said. "Every opportunity from now is an opportunity to recognise what he has done for our football club - and been for our football club."
SUBSTITUTE: "We are making sure we get the right minutes into the right people," Hinkley said. "Travis Boak needed to play. That is important to us. To make that happen, Dylan Williams was the player we felt - after a really strong season - won't lose too much by missing half a game."
FORM: Port Adelaide's gritty 16-point win against Fremantle did test the team's patience - a key pointer to what could unfold in September.
"We did not get to play absolutely the football we would love to play (on Sunday)," Hinkley said. "We were able to ground it out, fight it out. It was a good preparation.
"This week we have spent our time making sure we are ready to play Richmond with our best."
SCORE REVIEW: After the controversy with score review in round 23, the AFL is placing a second scrutineer in the central ARC (review centre in Melbourne) during the finals series.
"Any time we look to strengthen a system it cannot be bad," Hinkley said. "But to make it fool-proof, I don't think that will happen. Human error happens. It does not feel great when it happens to you. We have all had it happen at some stage.
"I am really comfortable with the AFL's (handling of score review). I would like no mistakes. But I am not sure that is possible. If we reflect over the whole season there has been a number of mistakes, human error that has happened and we all would like to not happen. They just happen.
"We should leave that in the hands of the AFL. We ask them to come up with a solution that is as close to 100 per cent accurate as you can get. That is what we are all striving for. We don't want any game decided by things outside the contest. You just don't want those things to happen, but they happen. It is part of the game. We have to deal with it."
Port Adelaide last hosted Richmond at Adelaide Oval in round 21 last season when the game ended in a 38-point win to the visitors.
eThe most recent meeting of the clubs was at the MCG in round 11 with Port Adelaide scoring a 10-point win to take its head-to-head record with Richmond to 21 wins, one draw and 16 losses.
The draw was in another home-and-away season closer in 2012.
This 39th Port Adelaide-Richmond clash will begin at noon on Sunday.
