Coach Has Ken Hinkley Been Found Out?

[Taper]

List isn't that good beyond the midfield, which isn't all that surprising when he's avoided bottoming-out in 12 years and routinely trades in list-cloggers.

Sacking him won't be an insta-fix that some seem to think it is.

Still, better to start afresh and take a step backwards before going forwards.

Port literally can't afford to bottom out, and I say this without exaggeration.

People forget how dire things were back in 2011 and 2012 when they last bottomed out.
The club was broke and struggling to attract sponsors, and we all remember the tarps.
Not only that but the club was close to being folded and liquidated due to how bad the finances were.

 

[TP86]

Going to be an incredible week of Ken's high and mighty mates in the media lecturing the uncouth about booing. Bonus points for the first person to compare it to past booing incidents of other players and public figures.

The idea of Port being stuck with a finals flop for another decade was amusing enough but the possibility of media in overdrive to shield him being in charge of a team that misses finals is as funny as it is grotesque.

There is now a strong possibility that Ken Hinkley might leave Port in a worse state than how he found them, or at least similar. As much as they do have some midfield talent, if he survives to start the 2025 season the want-away players and nosediving crowds might mean both list and tarps-on-seats situation might end up right back around 2011-12.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Also, if you want some more specifics, it is because he is perhaps the least inspiring living human alive. He literally begins making excuses for why we could (and ultimately, will) lose in his mid-week press conferences. He has never put the heat on the team to perform, refusing to acknowledge that the goal of a football game is to win it, and makes tame excuses for every loss. Loves to have a big old chuckle with his mates after the latest humiliating defeat. He lost the fire in his belly when Phil Walsh died in 2015. A natural, human response to this, that you couldn’t fault, but he has demonstrably lost his drive and ambition to win ever since.

Please just listen to us on this. There’s no way you’d have put up with this bloke for 12 years at your club.

Sure, even if I accept everything you’re saying, my point still stands.

There’s no reason to boo your own players or coaches and as far as I’m concerned it’s an absolutely abhorrent thing to do. “Never tear us apart” gimme a break…

 

[branedotorg]

I don't think ken is the sole issue, list management is average, tactics are poor and the match committee keeps picking cooked older player BUT after 12 years it's time for a change.

The next coach may or may not be better but Ken's had his chance and hit his ceiling

 

[Red Bull]

Ken’s been working hard for Port for over a decade.
Not being shown much respect here by the fans …

 

[elbarton]

Sure, even if I accept everything you’re saying, my point still stands.

There’s no reason to boo your own players or coaches and as far as I’m concerned it’s an absolutely abhorrent thing to do. “Never tear us apart” gimme a break…

He has probably made close to $10 million in gross earnings through the caper. I think he can face some scrutiny - he certainly doesn’t get any from the media.

Every other club’s fans would have acted in the same way in the same circumstances, let’s not kid ourselves. Port fans are simply in uncharted territory.

 

[Blue1980]

Norm Smith was sacked in 65 when the Demons were in the top 4 and had won the flag the previous year.

Melbourne didn't make the finals again until 22 years later in 87 in a 14 team competition.

Tough times ahead for Port.

I’ve always thought of Ken as the Norm Smith of port.

 

[Rod Stroker]

I’ve always thought of Ken as the Norm Smith of port.

minus all the flags. and having a medal named after him

 

[SC_Power]

Going to be an incredible week of Ken's high and mighty mates in the media lecturing the uncouth about booing. Bonus points for the first person to compare it to past booing incidents of other players and public figures.

The idea of Port being stuck with a finals flop for another decade was amusing enough but the possibility of media in overdrive to shield him being in charge of a team that misses finals is as funny as it is grotesque.

There is now a strong possibility that Ken Hinkley might leave Port in a worse state than how he found them, or at least similar. As much as they do have some midfield talent, if he survives to start the 2025 season the want-away players and nosediving crowds might mean both list and tarps-on-seats situation might end up right back around 2011-12.

Port literally can't afford to bottom out, and I say this without exaggeration.

People forget how dire things were back in 2011 and 2012 when they last bottomed out.
The club was broke and struggling to attract sponsors, and we all remember the tarps.
Not only that but the club was close to being folded and liquidated due to how bad the finances were.

You really need to do your homework in quoting past times.

Equating Port Adelaide now to Port Adelaide 2012 in terms of finances, is like comparing Geelong to pre-hundreds of millions of dollars renovations and upgrading of Kardinia Park, or Hawthorn still playing out at Waverley.

2012 was about trying to get out of a SANFL owned Football Park with one of the worst stadium cost drains on 2 clubs in AFL history.

And on field it was a clean out of the remains of the successful 2000’s squad and contained quality (mostly youth) players in Ebert, K Cornes, Boak, Hartlett, Westhoff, Gray, Schulz, Trengove, Wingard, Jonas, which is a lot to do with why we spiked with basically the same squad (plus Wines and Monfries) in 2013/14 at Adelaide Oval.

The role of Hinkley in 2013/14 is MORE than a decade ago. Without a single Grand Final appearance. It’s, dare I say it, an untenable situation. Has been for about 3 years.

 

[Dazb86]

Port literally can't afford to bottom out, and I say this without exaggeration.

People forget how dire things were back in 2011 and 2012 when they last bottomed out.
The club was broke and struggling to attract sponsors, and we all remember the tarps.
Not only that but the club was close to being folded and liquidated due to how bad the finances were.

Life before Ken was extremely rough. He's done a fantastic job.

In many ways he's a victim of his own success. The fans want and expect more while being blinded to the fact he's been getting them to the top 4 for a while now. His sustained success as a coach hasn't allowed them to pick up too many early first rounders to prop up the list with as well.

 

[Cyclops]

I don't understand the Ken hate. Port is not built to win flags. Ken is part if the reason they've been competitive, he's not costing them flags.

Good thing you’ve never seen a crowd boo an umpire, independent officials that they are.

(and I handed in my membership 3 years ago, when the board and management decided that this coach was more important than the club. The ethos of football - and our club used to reflect this - is that the individual is never bigger than the club. I’ll return when the club remembers this and returns to it.)

...it feels a bit like you're acting as though you're bigger than the club?

If enough Port people hand in their memberships (not sure what that means, not renewing your seasons ticket I assume, in any case you're no longer contributing financially) then the club folds.

I guess that'll show them?

 

[Palpatine_Power]

Ken’s been working hard for Port for over a decade.
Not being shown much respect here by the fans …

Where TF does this dribble come from?

 

[Red Bull]

Where TF does this dribble come from?

Ken’s contracted for 2025 and said in his presser that they need to keep working hard.
Ken has given Port over a decade’s loyal service …

 

[SC_Power]

...it feels a bit like you're acting as though you're bigger than the club?

If enough Port people hand in their memberships (not sure what that means, not renewing your seasons ticket I assume, in any case you're no longer contributing financially) then the club folds.

I guess that'll show them?

No, that’s the exact opposite… I’m not bigger than the club, so I leave.

But if the club decides that it doesn’t want to listen to its members, and the members continue to drain, then that’s what would happen.

Part of the intransigence of the SANFL is that both the Adelaide clubs have an appointed board, with only 2 member elected spots. Funny how Port Adelaide members voted in Warren Tredrea this year. What message do you think that sends the club?

 

[SC_Power]

Where TF does this dribble come from?

It’s thinly veiled trolling.
Just leave it.

 

[mattwa]

So a top 4 team of last year, should be losing to a team outside the 8 by 14 goals?

That's about par is it?

Your a fraudulent top 4 team. Noone in the media or between opposition supporters rate Port Adelaide at all. Apart from 3 players in the midfield and Houston down back the rest of the list is terrible

 

[sobrave]

Your a fraudulent top 4 team. Noone in the media or between opposition supporters rate Port Adelaide at all. Apart from 3 players in the midfield and Houston down back the rest of the list is terrible

Should probably sack the coach then

 

[moses]

I don't think ken is the sole issue, list management is average, tactics are poor and the match committee keeps picking cooked older player BUT after 12 years it's time for a change.

The next coach may or may not be better but Ken's had his chance and hit his ceiling

This reads very similar to Matthew Nicks.

 

[Crankyhawk]

Abhorrent behaviour by some Port supporters booing him today.

Hes been a very good coach for that club for a long time now. He’s def not the future for them but that’s not how you treat your own.

When the fans are told they don’t matter, dismissed as white noise, frustrated at the lack of scrutiny on hinkleys failure to make a GF, and see hinkley as a pricktorian more interested in greyhounds than coaching better, who has admitted he doesn’t know opposition players (last week) or how they lose games (2022 after losing to hawks on Russell Ebert tribute match), I don’t judge the fans at all

 

[Cyclops]

No, that’s the exact opposite… I’m not bigger than the club, so I leave.

But if the club decides that it doesn’t want to listen to its members, and the members continue to drain, then that’s what would happen.

Part of the intransigence of the SANFL is that both the Adelaide clubs have an appointed board, with only 2 member elected spots. Funny how Port Adelaide members voted in Warren Tredrea this year. What message do you think that sends the club?

Mate I'm not a Port supporter, so I don't follow the internal politics.

It seems to me that if Tredrea doesn't like the current administration he candtay away, or he can remain involved and try to help.

Withdrawing financial support seems like you hurt the club.

My own view is to slavishly pay up for my season ticket. I'm aware that can seem stupid, fair enough but I want the club to be there in 10 years, 100 years.

 

[sobrave]

When the fans are told they don’t matter, dismissed as white noise, frustrated at the lack of scrutiny on hinkleys failure to make a GF, and see hinkley as a pricktorian more interested in greyhounds than coaching better, who has admitted he doesn’t know opposition players (last week) or how they lose games (2022 after losing to hawks on Russell Ebert tribute match), I don’t judge the fans at all

Yesterday was meant to be a celebration of the 20 year anniversary of beating Brisbane and winning the 04 grand final lol

 

[SC_Power]

Mate I'm not a Port supporter, so I don't follow the internal politics.

It seems to me that if Tredrea doesn't like the current administration he candtay away, or he can remain involved and try to help.

Withdrawing financial support seems like you hurt the club.

My own view is to slavishly pay up for my season ticket. I'm aware that can seem stupid, fair enough but I want the club to be there in 10 years, 100 years.

The point is that membership is purely financial, we can’t change the club as members.
Your club changed its entire board a couple of years back, right? Because the members weren’t happy.
We can’t do that. We don’t have that lever.
So what, don’t leave the club, don’t boo at games, sit and watch mediocrity and be clap happy that we’re not completely sh*t?

We need a well run club. We need external accountability. We need a club where the members can elect/fire the board, the board can elect/fire the chair, and the chair can elect/fire the coach.

 

[Pistol Night]

Yesterday was meant to be a celebration of the 20 year anniversary of beating Brisbane and winning the 04 grand final lol

Did they hit the piss Friday night instead of after the game?

 

[The 747]

The point is that membership is purely financial, we can’t change the club as members.
Your club changed its entire board a couple of years back, right? Because the members weren’t happy.
We can’t do that. We don’t have that lever.
So what, don’t leave the club, don’t boo at games, sit and watch mediocrity and be clap happy that we’re not completely sh*t?

We need a well run club. We need external accountability. We need a club where the members can elect/fire the board, the board can elect/fire the chair, and the chair can elect/fire the coach.

Is there a timeline for members getting control of the club? I do like bagging Port posters for being haters, but not having any ability to influence the direction of the club seems on the nose to me.

 

[mattwa]

Should probably sack the coach then

I think Hinkleys time is up but hanging out big FA contracts and ignoring the draft has already the Power back a while. JHF is going to be fantastic I get that but who else is coming through that is young? Maybe georgiades who looks good. I just think the bookends are very average and Aliir looks cooked. Is he injured?