Sick Port Adelaide coach can't phone staff during Kangaroos match Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley talks to his players during the team meeting the night before the match against Melbourne at Berri. PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cannot talk to his assistants during tomorrow's game in Hobart. The Advertiser confirmed with the AFL Hinkley can't phone in as he is not a match-day official. Hinkley, who remains in hospital with a virus, will not make the trip to Tasmania, but is expected to be in contact with his right-hand man, Alan Richardson, before and after the game at Blundstone Arena. Port heads into the match against North Melbourne as underdogs, and took another hit yesterday when the club decided to put key defender and 2011 best-and-fairest Jackson Trengove on the injury list. Hinkley is expected to bounce back quickly from his virus, which led to an internal inflammation. "It's going to be logistically difficult, but it's going to be hard to keep him as well," Power chief executive Keith Thomas said. I reckon right up until the match, he'll be in communication with them. Port will not bring in an extra person into the coach's box. Thomas is confident there will be a sense of continuity with Richardson, who has senior coaching experience from the VFL, filling in for the day. Alan, really the role he plays on match day is to work with Ken and oversee the communication that's going on between all of them (Hinkley and assistants). Thomas said. I reckon Alan's really looking forward to it. He's an experienced guy in his own right, really talented. The guys respect him enormously. He'll step up really well, I think. Alan and Ken work hand-in-hand every match, that's our process, so we don't feel as if we lose a whole lot from the continuity point of view. The most important thing is that Ken is well and he'll be fine. We were a little bit concerned yesterday (Wednesday). Details on Hinkley's virus remain sketchy, but Thomas said the latest word was that he was expected to bounce back as quickly as he took ill. Thomas had noticed that Hinkley struggled with pains in his back during the club's meeting with AFL chief Andrew Demetriou yesterday morning and decided to take Hinkley to hospital for extensive checks.