WesternSydneyHawk
Debutant
- Mar 19, 2023
- 96
- 198
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
Honestly, a bit of a media-driven storm in a teacup that will soon be forgotten.
But let's tease this out a bit.
The initial social post by Ginni was an immature comment by a 21-year-old.
I'm sure most people reading this have made immature comments when they were that age. I know I have. Social media hadn't been invented yet when I was 21, but if it had been around when I was that age I'm sure I would have posted some dumb comments on social media.
More importantly, the comments were made ahead of the match.
It's not uncommon for athletes, in many sports, to talk smack about their opponents before a match, or a contest, or a fight.
That's the spirit in which Ginni's comments were made.
Ken could have responded through the media. Or at a press conference. Or he could have replied to the post on social media. Or made his comments in a pre-match interview. Or told one of his players to tell Ginni he's not flying anywhere during the match itself.
Ken Hinkley chose not to.
As we now know, it's not because he had nothing to say. It's not because he was the bigger man.
No, Ken Hinkley chose to stay silent because he's a coward.
He was under pressure because Port had choked the previous week. His job was on the line. And he knew victory wasn't certain.
And with good reason. Had Sic struck that final shot for goal a few millimetres differently, Port would have lost.
Having just seen his team to a close, hard-fought finals win against a tough opponent, Ken could have been the bigger man.
He saw how devastated the Hawks were with the result. Having been silent all week, he could have been the bigger man and let the scoreboard do the talking.
But Ken Hinkley is a coward.
He only felt confident to begin his pre-match smack talking after the final siren had sounded.
He waited until the players were gathering to chair off a legend of the game, Luke Breust, in his 300th game.
Breust is known as one of the best small forwards of the modern era, and has been an integral part of multiple premiership-winning sides.
A far better footballer than Hinkley was, either in the final years of Fitzroy, or as a part of the early '90s Geelong squad that's remembered for losing grand finals to West Coast and Carlton.
It's a record of choking that Hinkley has proudly continued as Port Adelaide's coach.
It was with his players standings behind him, with the win firmly secured, that Ken chose to be a bad winner, and make his belated response to the pre-match smack talk.
With a level of emotional maturity the football world has come to expect, it was then that Ken Hinkley, nearly 60-years-old, decided to taunt a young 21-year-old.
What he came up with wasn't witty, or clever, or funny. Just mean-spirited. "You're not flying anywhere!"
You expect that level of maturity from a 21-year-old. But it's worth repeating. Ken Hinkley is nearly 60.
If that's the level of leadership Kenneth shows, then frankly Port supporters have been completely right in questioning his ongoing role.
Not having made enough of a fool of himself already, he repeated his comments, safe in the knowledge that several Port playeds were standing behind him if anything happened. Because he's a coward.
It was at this point James Sicily, a man who is far more of a leader than Hinkley will ever be, confronted the pathetic old man. Sicily was basically obligated to stand up for his team member, and did so.
Sicily's reaction was particularly justified in light of the utter disrespect the former Fitzroy player was showing to a legend of the game in Luke Breust.
In his press conference, Sam Mitchell mostly refrained from commenting about Hinkley's pathetic display directly, except to the say — rightly — that he was proud in the leadership Sicily showed in the situation.
Hawthorn legends including Dermott Brereton Jason Dunstall, Luke Hodge, and Jordan Lewis, who witnessed the incident, were rightly scathing of Ken Hinkley and his frankly bizzare, eccentric, and cowardly antics.
Again, these experts were all far more successful as players than Hinkley was.
Clearly, the onus is now on Ken to ensure that Port win the premiership this year.
He needs to focus less on the future plane flights of a 21-year-old, and more on his own future travel itinerary.
Because another finals choke for Port, in light of this embarrassing display, will further prove why Hinkley is just not suited for continuing to coach Port Adelaide.
But let's tease this out a bit.
The initial social post by Ginni was an immature comment by a 21-year-old.
I'm sure most people reading this have made immature comments when they were that age. I know I have. Social media hadn't been invented yet when I was 21, but if it had been around when I was that age I'm sure I would have posted some dumb comments on social media.
More importantly, the comments were made ahead of the match.
It's not uncommon for athletes, in many sports, to talk smack about their opponents before a match, or a contest, or a fight.
That's the spirit in which Ginni's comments were made.
Ken could have responded through the media. Or at a press conference. Or he could have replied to the post on social media. Or made his comments in a pre-match interview. Or told one of his players to tell Ginni he's not flying anywhere during the match itself.
Ken Hinkley chose not to.
As we now know, it's not because he had nothing to say. It's not because he was the bigger man.
No, Ken Hinkley chose to stay silent because he's a coward.
He was under pressure because Port had choked the previous week. His job was on the line. And he knew victory wasn't certain.
And with good reason. Had Sic struck that final shot for goal a few millimetres differently, Port would have lost.
Having just seen his team to a close, hard-fought finals win against a tough opponent, Ken could have been the bigger man.
He saw how devastated the Hawks were with the result. Having been silent all week, he could have been the bigger man and let the scoreboard do the talking.
But Ken Hinkley is a coward.
He only felt confident to begin his pre-match smack talking after the final siren had sounded.
He waited until the players were gathering to chair off a legend of the game, Luke Breust, in his 300th game.
Breust is known as one of the best small forwards of the modern era, and has been an integral part of multiple premiership-winning sides.
A far better footballer than Hinkley was, either in the final years of Fitzroy, or as a part of the early '90s Geelong squad that's remembered for losing grand finals to West Coast and Carlton.
It's a record of choking that Hinkley has proudly continued as Port Adelaide's coach.
It was with his players standings behind him, with the win firmly secured, that Ken chose to be a bad winner, and make his belated response to the pre-match smack talk.
With a level of emotional maturity the football world has come to expect, it was then that Ken Hinkley, nearly 60-years-old, decided to taunt a young 21-year-old.
What he came up with wasn't witty, or clever, or funny. Just mean-spirited. "You're not flying anywhere!"
You expect that level of maturity from a 21-year-old. But it's worth repeating. Ken Hinkley is nearly 60.
If that's the level of leadership Kenneth shows, then frankly Port supporters have been completely right in questioning his ongoing role.
Not having made enough of a fool of himself already, he repeated his comments, safe in the knowledge that several Port playeds were standing behind him if anything happened. Because he's a coward.
It was at this point James Sicily, a man who is far more of a leader than Hinkley will ever be, confronted the pathetic old man. Sicily was basically obligated to stand up for his team member, and did so.
Sicily's reaction was particularly justified in light of the utter disrespect the former Fitzroy player was showing to a legend of the game in Luke Breust.
In his press conference, Sam Mitchell mostly refrained from commenting about Hinkley's pathetic display directly, except to the say — rightly — that he was proud in the leadership Sicily showed in the situation.
Hawthorn legends including Dermott Brereton Jason Dunstall, Luke Hodge, and Jordan Lewis, who witnessed the incident, were rightly scathing of Ken Hinkley and his frankly bizzare, eccentric, and cowardly antics.
Again, these experts were all far more successful as players than Hinkley was.
Clearly, the onus is now on Ken to ensure that Port win the premiership this year.
He needs to focus less on the future plane flights of a 21-year-old, and more on his own future travel itinerary.
Because another finals choke for Port, in light of this embarrassing display, will further prove why Hinkley is just not suited for continuing to coach Port Adelaide.
Last edited:
