STILL numb after the death of former right-hand man Phil Walsh, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says he hasn’t been able to concentrate on Thursday night's game against Collingwood.

Walsh returned to Alberton last year as the Power's midfield manager, before moving to West Lakes to coach Adelaide.

Hinkley also played at Geelong in 1995 when Walsh was the club's fitness coach.

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The pair forged a strong bond, which has made it all but impossible for the Power's coach to focus on his side's clash with Collingwood at the Adelaide Oval.

With Port languishing in 12th spot on the ladder, Thursday night is a must-win if it's to have any chance of playing finals.

But Hinkley admitted he has struggled to think about the game at all.

"We need to have a good, solid performance, but there are some other things right now that have made that a little bit difficult to clearly see," Hinkley said.

"I'll tell you, it [the game] hasn't been big on my mind.

"I have [been thinking about time with Walsh last year] and I still am and I get constant reminders unfortunately, but at some stage, like the rest of us, we'll find a way.

"It's really difficult for me to talk about.

"I don't know [how I'll go on Thursday night], I don't know what to expect from our team or from any team … it is the unknown, I can't give you an answer."

Port Adelaide has trained during the week but Hinkley says the Power will only know how well it is able to perform through the shock of its former midfield manager's passing when they run out on Thursday night.

That run out will be without much fanfare, with the club only retaining its usual Never Tear Us Apart pre-bounce anthem as part of its game day.

"We've been able to try and stay a little bit focussed, but I can't guarantee that we'll be absolutely perfect," Hinkley said.

"Brad [Ebert] mentioned he [Walsh] taught them one incredible thing: you've got to get the job done sometimes, and that's what we've got to do.

"They've trained this morning, trained on Monday, but it may be that someone is really struggling. 

"I probably don't expect that to be the case [though], I think they will want to go out there.

"I think that's what high-performing people do, and when you've associated with people like Phil, you just think 'I've got to do this' - got to go out and do this job."

Port Adelaide plays Collingwood at 7:20pm (ACST) on Thursday night.