Opinion Sack Hinkley 11 - Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest

[Fizzler]

It's Graham Cornes. He doesn't genuinely think it. He's saying it because he'd rather rile up Port fans and help keep his son in a job than have integrity. How do people still not get this?

I’m 100% aware that that’s what he’s doing, it’s just sometimes they do it with a take so outrageous that, even despite knowing all that, still is jawdropping

 

[PowerLil]

The list is poor. Kenneth Hinkley will become the very first living saint by being canonised whilst alive for performing at least 2 miracles in his tenure.

 

[tribey]

I’m 100% aware that that’s what he’s doing, it’s just sometimes they do it with a take so outrageous that, even despite knowing all that, still is jawdropping

I’d be more prone to accept this if the entire industry wasn’t saying the same thing (and has for the better part of a decade).

Port, growth of the past decade notwithstanding, is still a tiny media market/talking point, and the likes of Gerard Whateley certainly don’t do it for clicks.

They’re earnestly cult-adjacent.

 

[morell]

****ing hell imagine seeing JHF, Butters, Rozee, Wines, Drew, Boak and Houston rotating through the same midfield and genuinely thinking that. Has to be some weird way of setting up a story.

Whilst I agree with the overall sentiment that we have enough talent overall to win the flag - and our midfield is as talented as any...

Our backline is workmanlike and youngish and our forward line is clearly not as talented as most of the rest of the 8.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Our backline is workmanlike

Aliir, BZT and Bergman are better than workmanlike, especially when supported by Houston and Farrell. There is plenty of talent back there.

I maintain that most of our forwardline issues are strategy based, not personnel based.

 

[tribey]

our forward line is clearly not as talented as most of the rest of the 8.

Maybe as raw individuals, but when your 4th/5th forward has an All-Australian guernsey under his belt, as many goal assists in 2024 as Toby Greene and Gryan Miers, and a last second matchwinning strike under his belt, it’s not exactly the Sahara Desert for scoring power.

 

[PowerLil]

The club relies on the basic principles of indoctrination to re-educate and produce Hinkleyphiles. It's a bit like the invasion of the bodysnatchers.

 

[rogerjames]

Port Adelaide finished 8-1 since their own fans booed Ken Hinkley off Adelaide Oval in June.

Amazing what a bit of accountability does for you. Players, coaches, football admin & board members were too comfortable existing within their mediocrity. Supporters took a stand & said it wasn't good enough. And look what happens - despite the calls from the coach & football manager that the list wasn't good enough we win the next 8 of 9. The club should thank the supporters for having some ambition & higher expectations. If you don't get this you haven't been watching.

 

[Harlott]

“A lot of our supporters didn’t accept it, to make a Grand Final was just the normal, winning premierships was the only thing. We realised after winning that premiership how important it was to people who live their lives through the Port Adelaide football club “ - Ebert

“Port supporters are fickle”- Cornes

One of the above gets it

 

[KrispyKremeMullanikka]

Ken is going on AA tomorrow

 

[Tibbs]

Fate take note​

I’ve been quiet lately. It’s been tempting to speak up. But fate, I know, has found it tempting, too. Fate has been waiting for me to say something optimistic out loud. So I’ll tempt nothing and just point something out.

Three years ago, at this point of the season, we had beaten Footscray away by two points to secure a home qualifying final versus Geelong (again). We’d made hard work of beating Footscray: 21 scoring shots to 14. We proceeded to make short work of Geelong, and two weeks after that came the home prelim … vs Footscray.

We all know what happened. Think about it. Remember it, those of you who seem to have forgotten.

I implore you all: never forget. Never, ever, forget.

Even the GM Football called it an ‘abomination’. I recently asked him if he’d been hauled over the coals for that, as one rumour indicated. He assured me he hadn’t. I didn’t believe him.

It was precisely that, that 2021 prelim - an abomination.

Hinkley was the senior coach, sitting up in the box. That was his matchday station, had been for eight seasons. At one point in the first quarter he had his head in his hands, his face buried into his palms. He was so shocked he was paralysed. He was vegetative. He was clueless.

Was he Hinks the Jinx … yet again? Naw, he was worse.

On the Thursday before the 2021 prelim I received a personal call out of the blue from the new CEO, still in his first year, officially. He was excited. The vibes down the line clearly sent me the message that we were going to conquer Footscray in the prelim and advance to the Big Dance, a night one, in Perth. Everything was upside-down that year, as it had been the truncated year before when we lost our home prelim by six points with both teams kicking but six goals each.

All I dared say to the new CEO was: “We’ll see.”

He remembered how, four or five years before that, over a beer in Hong Kong, I’d sworn to him that Port Adelaide would never win a flag with Hinkley as senior coach. I can still see his face.

Now we have posters on this forum gleefully declaring that should we win the 2024 flag it will be ‘Ken’s Flag’.

Give me an effing break. It will be Port Adelaide’s flag … if we win. Which we won’t. Fate take note.

What’s changed since the abomination of 2021? In 2022 Hinkley was 0 and 5 and finished the year as low as he’d ever been. He has since been banished down to the bench he used to speak of with comtempt, in the wake of a Showdown loss wearing the Bars. It was the pits. WGT labelled the situation ‘untenable’. The players rallied like young diggers at Long Tan. Poor Ken was in trouble. Thirteen wins in a row were followed by a two-year contract extension for the Jinx and then a straight-sets exit from the finals. Fate had been tempted. Fate had reacted.

Only at a club where Hinkley is/was senior coach could such illogical soup be served up time and time again for the Jinx to dip in his teacup and chuck the contents drongo-style over his shoulder.

This year, now, the players have rallied once again and got us back to hosting a qualifying final versus Geelong. Poor Ken was in trouble again. You could see it in his eyes, on TV, welling tears and all. The Lions had walloped us. We’d only been able to beat the Saints by two points.

The players, a group of them led by a midfield to be proud of with the others chiming in, are one of the aspects that is new, wasn’t there in 2021.

The other functioning item that is new is Josh Carr

Josh Carr

Age

44

Ht

179cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.8

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

7.2

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.3

5star

CL

2.0

4star

No current season stats available

D

12.2

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

2.6

3star

T

0.8

3star

.

It won’t be ‘Ken’s Flag’ in 2024. It will be Port Adelaide’s Flag, if we win it. Which we won’t.

Fate take note, bugger you.

Good to hear from you again LR.

Good thing is: I dont believe in fate at all. Life is what you make it. This team has as good a shot as any to become 2024 Premiers.
Bad thing is: I sadly agree with you and have little confidence in Hinkley's ability to get this team up for finals!

But then, I also a agree that a lot has changed since that fateful prelim against Footescray.
*Someone else is calling the shots from the box.
*That new midfield group you speak of.
*And there is a more accountable/contested style of football being played, that wasnt there in previous years..

I also agree that if we do go on to win the big dance, it will have been despite the questionable off-field group leading this club!

 

[morell]

Maybe as raw individuals, but when your 4th/5th forward has an All-Australian guernsey under his belt, as many goal assists in 2024 as Toby Greene and Gryan Miers, and a last second matchwinning strike under his belt, it’s not exactly the Sahara Desert for scoring power.

Yeh for sure, it's not bad, but I wouldn't say it's stronger than (full strength)..

GWS, Brisbane, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Carlton

Maybe comparable to Sydney and Hawthorn

 

[Lockhart Road]

Good to hear from you again LR.

Good thing is: I dont believe in fate at all. Life is what you make it. This team has as good a shot as any to become 2024 Premiers.
Bad thing is: I sadly agree with you and have little confidence in Hinkley's ability to get this team up for finals!

But then, I also a agree that a lot has changed since that fateful prelim against Footescray.
*Someone else is calling the shots from the box.
*That new midfield group you speak of.
*And there is a more accountable/contested style of football being played, that wasnt there in previous years..

I also agree that if we do go on to win the big dance, it will have been despite the questionable off-field group leading this club!

Hello back, mate.

I use ‘fate’ because it’s easier, another four-letter word starting with ‘f’.

Instead I could use ‘leading with your chin’ instead of ‘tempting fate’. This was done for example when the new CEO came out with his ‘three premierships, 100,000 members and zero debt’.

It’s something I have never done and will never do, and it rings a loud alarm in my head when I hear someone else do it. So unnecessary. Wiser to be able to laugh and say: “I told you so.” I might do that to the CEO after Hinkley flunks his twelfth year in succession. But, then, I might not. Let’s see.

 

[Gryllis]

Robbo asking Ken on AFL 360 how he feels when it's reported he's the longest serving coach at a club without making a grand final or winning a premiership.

Ken: "Well it's a fact." Then just buzzwords.

They finally noticed.

 

[backtozero]

I genuinely think that G Cornes is so bitter at being sacked so a coach with some actual footy knowledge in Blight could get the job done.

With Port Adelaide coming into the competition they sacked the useless Cornes because they were scared that Port would dominate him like we did for years in sanfl.

That's right wrinkles you are a bitter bitter unsuccessful football coach. Imagine having to face Jack Cahill and his Port Adelaide AFL side in the first Showdown and get smashed.

The part that you can't handle is that both of your boys played for the team that have tormented you for decades and caused this spiteful attitude you have towards Port Adelaide, news flash Wrinkles, this is something you can never change.

Unless i misunderstood your post, Cornes was sacked at the conclusion of the 94 season. Robert Shaw coached in 95-96 and Blight hired in 97.

 

[tribey]

Robbo asking Ken on AFL 360 how he feels when it's reported he's the longest serving coach at a club without making a grand final or winning a premiership.

Ken: "Well it's a fact." Then just buzzwords.

They finally noticed.

I’m told he dribbled something about ‘stability’ lol.

The cheek.

 

[backtozero]

What I meant to say was they didn't want Cornes as coach when Port came in. Shaw was so bad that I forgot about him.

You reckon they sacked him 3 years in advance?

 

[TazD]

Hmm, he is starting to sound more like 13/14 Ken.

It's still not a valid enough reason not to sack him.

 

[PowerLil]

Hmm, he is starting to sound more like 13/14 Ken.

It's still not a valid enough reason not to sack him.

Don't be fooled. If only his coaching skills rivalled his acting skills. A consummate professional.

 

[tribey]

What I meant to say was they didn't want Cornes as coach when Port came in. Shaw was so bad that I forgot about him.

The whole Cornes sacking had to have more to it.

They were flag favourites in ‘94, started the season like a house on fire, including a Round 1 obliteration of fellow flag fancy Carlton the same night a young West Adelaide player by the name of Matthew Nicks was coward-punched in a neo-Nazi rampage (see image),



And despite being 3rd (4-2) after six games, plummeted to miss the eight entirely, finishing a meagre 11th. And that was that.

The ‘great’ Graham Cornes sacked at the relatively tender age of 46.

 

[ibd77]

Well he didn't say anything dumb on 360 tonight. So there's that. Robbo questioned Hinkleys awareness about his coaching record and he is feeling the pressure this time around. We shall see if this pressure turns him into diamonds.

 

[Winestoppable]

Well he didn't say anything dumb on 360 tonight. So there's that. Robbo questioned Hinkleys awareness about his coaching record and he is feeling the pressure this time around. We shall see if this pressure turns him into diamonds.

Yeah I'll pay him that. I thought he answered Robbo's question well.

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

 

[jakey]

Robbo asking Ken on AFL 360 how he feels when it's reported he's the longest serving coach at a club without making a grand final or winning a premiership.

Ken: "Well it's a fact." Then just buzzwords.

They finally noticed.

Kenny looked ****ing uncomfortable as robbo put the question to him.

 

[Janey]

Well he didn't say anything dumb on 360 tonight. So there's that. Robbo questioned Hinkleys awareness about his coaching record and he is feeling the pressure this time around. We shall see if this pressure turns him into diamonds.

For a fair while now I haven't listened to any of his interviews or after-match press conferences, there just didn't seem to be any point. But I did watch the one after the showdown, mostly because Zak was on with him, and I saw tonight's 360 to catch Logan Evans' interview. I have to say I think he was OK on both. Seemed to just answer honestly and didn't dodge any awkward questions, and was pretty measured after the showdown, just stayed focused on the job ahead.

 

[GremioPower]

And despite being 3rd (4-2) after six games, plummeted to miss the eight entirely, finishing a meagre 11th. And that was that.

If only he had been 11-4. He wouldn’t have been sacked. Isn’t it how this works?