Opinion Sack Hinkley 11 - Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest

[Finest of Wines]

You kinda gotta respect it at this point.

The team was performing so poorly, it inspired the GM to go on radio and suggest the list was ‘not good enough’ — despite having blown infinite picks and salary cap topping up a 17-win team in full pursuit of a flag — a move Kane Cornes praised for its ‘honesty’(!), resulting in internal and external expectations flatlining.

Now, oddly, a group teeming with talent is clicking on all cylinders against a highly-ranked opponent, and all the praise is going to go to the goose who can’t beat a crappy Crows outfit, routinely sh¡ts his pants in September, and even managed to lose to Dimma’s Suns for the first time ever.

Lol.

I respect his ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat to save his job (but loath it even more). My issue is, and has been for ten years, he doesn’t know how to lead a group to win the biggest games in a season. When the pressure is off Port play like prime Real Madrid, when there is any expectation (even minimal), it’s like Newcastle 1996

 

[tribey]

Cornes says he thought we were 7-10th. Watch him change his tune now. Then we'll start losing LOL.

He praised the GM for his “honesty”, and contributed to that Footy Classified sh¡tshow because Tredrea disagreed with Davies’ downgrading of the list lol

 

[Contested Marx]

Honestly, it's just another win against a top side in a bit of a rut

It really means nothing though

 

[ibd77]

This has Mark Williams all over it. He wasted many years of possible premierships only for the players to take it on and get one, then contract extension, then expensive sacking.
It’s Groundhog Day isn’t it?

Yep but as long as we get one, we're good now aren't we.

 

[PA88]

As far as I'm concerned, if we fail to make the GF after such a result, then Hinkley has monumentally failed even bigger than ever!
It will be just so much Hinkley if he even tries to temper the expectations because he's afraid of being the hunted top dog.

 

[VineValerian]

I desperately want to believe so. I hope that Josh has been a large influence with the good results we've had.

My son said he'd never seen Port play that good before.
He followed Aussie Rules from 2007 onwards and was/is a Geelong fan, but also follows Port since 2010, and comes to games with me.
It's the best I've seen for 4 quarters since Hinkley arrived.

In fact it's so diametrically opposed to his usual modus operandi, and knowing how stubborn, insular he can be, it's too extraordinary to believe he has changed his mindset 180 degrees overnight!

Last year when we won 34 games in a row, he moved to the bench. Many of us thought he was playing the assistant coaching role, and the actual assistants were deving the game strategies and positional changes, while KH passed the message on from the bench.

Then they reappointed him, so he got the keys to the car back - then we started losing again when the pressure was on.

Maybe, as Chewy is suggesting, the footy committee has decided enough is enough? And they're receptive to change?

They've put Carr in the driver's seat and they're seeing if he is tactically sound and savvy, keeps cool under pressure, has a more sustainable game plan, and generally displays fundamentally excellent man management skills. A precursor to interview for the main gig?

Maybe it's a litmus test for him, without publically stating it as such? Just to keep it all under wraps for now, to see how he and the team goes.

Hope so, cos I liked what I saw tonight.

 

[Mr Gor]

Lads, the inevitable finals exit will be all the more impactful now. Think of how much Carlton and Sydney will want revenge if they come up against Port in September.

That said, good game by the boys

 

[Powerade 08]

Lads, the inevitable finals exit will be all the more impactful now. Think of how much Carlton and Sydney will want revenge if they come up against Port in September.

That said, good game by the boys

They need to make the finals first. Sydney are 1W-5L and Carlton 1W-4L on recent form, and those wins were against North Melbourne.

Brisbane and GWS should have us covered though.

 

[Chewy316]

My son said he'd never seen Port play that good before.
He followed Aussie Rules from 2007 onwards and was/is a Geelong fan, but also follows Port since 2010, and comes to games with me.
It's the best I've seen for 4 quarters since Hinkley arrived.

In fact it's so diametrically opposed to his usual modus operandi, and knowing how stubborn, insular he can be, it's too extraordinary to believe he has changed his mindset 180 degrees overnight!

Last year when we won 34 games in a row, he moved to the bench. Many of us thought he was playing the assistant coaching role, and the actual assistants were deving the game strategies and positional changes, while KH passed the message on from the bench.

Then they reappointed him, so he got the keys to the car back - then we started losing again when the pressure was on.

Maybe, as Chewy is suggesting, the footy committee has decided enough is enough? And they're receptive to change?

They've put Carr in the driver's seat and they're seeing if he is tactically sound and savvy, keeps cool under pressure, has a more sustainable game plan, and generally displays fundamentally excellent man management skills. A precursor to interview for the main gig?

Maybe it's a litmus test for him, without publically stating it as such? Just to keep it all under wraps for now, to see how he and the team goes.

Hope so, cos I liked what I saw tonight.

Definitely haven't put Carr in the driver's seat. Ken still well and truly the senior coach, for now.

 

[tribey]

Lads, the inevitable finals exit will be all the more impactful now. Think of how much Carlton and Sydney will want revenge if they come up against Port in September.

That said, good game by the boys

We’re now so far beyond normal parameters for a VFL/AFL head coaching tenure literally anything could happen from here and I’d believe it.

Putting Hinkley to one side and evaluating raw talent and ceiling potential:

Sydney, Carlton, Melbourne and Essendon are cooked.

Brisbane are in the midst of a loooong run back from the depths and are due to taper at some point soon.

Collingwood were never much chop to begin with. Geelong are just alright in fits and starts.

It’s still too early for Hawthorn.

Freo are Freo.

So if you told me that when the smoke clears we somehow put it altogether long enough to beat the Western Bulldogs in a Grand Final, I’d believe it.

 

[jdeezy]

I just want to post in here since I'm sure there are a bunch of oppo supporters getting their voyeur skills on in here, "how could they want the coach sacked, they're second?" sort of thing.

12 years of the same coach and a decade of shitting the bed when it matters means that as enjoyable as a night like tonight was, you just can't shake the "it'll all be for nothing" feeling. We sat top every round in 2020, we felt optimistic, it ended up being all for nothing. 2021, covid protocols massively in our favour, there's no way we weren't making it through to the granny - all for nothing. 2023, 13 game win streak, all for nothing. 2015, 16, 22, whenever, coming off a close season and loading up on "missing pieces", all for nothing.

For years we've coasted, picking up H&A or even non-elimination finals wins that make it look like we've finally turned the corner, only to face an actual challenge, a high placed team, an elimination final, and panic. The coaches to proclaim the team we played was better than us anyway, then scurry away to the shadows before any tough questions are asked of them.

We've seen this movie before. We show something great, then we fall apart when it counts. Some of us get optimistic and then get let down. Others just don't get optimistic anymore.

We know it's coming, so you can't truly 100% enjoy a night like tonight without at least some sort of pessimistic thought about what history has shown will come next.

I want to shake the pessimist away and truly just entirely embrace the wins. It won't happen when I know there's been 11+ years of the same results from the same people though. That's why I want change. That's why I want Hinkley gone. I want to feel optimistic without the shadow of "yeah but the last 11 years" forming above me.

Sack him this year, premiership or not

 

[Seattle Mariners]

Sir Alex Ferguson

Vince Lombardi

Phil Jackson

The NY Yankees bloke that won a bunch of World Series in the 90’s.

Kenneth Hinkley

 

[Watto71]

This feels like when we beat the dogs to then face them in the finals and got flogged.
Finals is what matters most and Hinkley hasn't proven anything yet

 

[raptalia]

Anything could happen in this competition atm. We went from 8th to second, albeit temporary, on the ladder on the strength of a single win. Using the Koch logic Hinkley will probably survive this year on the strength of last night's performance against the top side.

I agree that Hinkley should be judged on what the side does in the finals but unfortunately Koch doesn't think that way. If Port makes the finals that will probably be good enough for Koch and the majority of the Board.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Remember when Ken's excuse was the list isn't good enough?

Beating the top side by 112 puts a bit of a spanner in that.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I am because it was us who did it but the reality is Sydney have been absolutely shit for 5 weeks now.
It's basically us last year.

So has everyone else. Even Brisbane are up and down and we beat the Dogs ourselves recently.

With the list we have and the state of the competition a flag should be the expectation. A grand final the minimum. Anything less than that is a massive failure to grab yet another opportunity.

 

[JimmyBC]

Top Ten Ken

 

[MrChow]

What happens to this thread if we win the flag? #Ken4Life

 

[PAFC66]

What happens to this thread if we win the flag? #Ken4Life

We won't

 

[PowerLil]

Ken Hinkley and Chris Davies, Head Coach and General Manager of Football declared publicly exactly 6 weeks ago the list was not good enough. I listened to last night's press conference and beyond ' we've worked really hard' and 'the competition is really tight', he says nothing of note; no insightful football knowledge nor tactical reasons behind the result.
The list is capable of winning a premiership Ken and Chris. The problem has never been the list. Get rid of these two so we can maximise this list's potential. You don't get generational talents like we have very often.
When the whips get cracking, he will sit there clueless as we've seen the previous 11 years.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

What happens to this thread if we win the flag? #Ken4Life

For me if he wins a flag he gets back to break even. It makes up for the no captains shit, but doesn't make up for the 11 years of wasted opportunities. To actually cement a legacy above mediocre he needs to go back to back.

That said if we do win the flag I'll be celebrating and posting in the JHF thread on the norf board til I get banned, not posting in here.

 

[PowerBaz]

Defiantly 2014 Elimination vibes from that game - we went in to win three flags didn’t we?

In all honesty I said a couple of weeks ago we’d go on a run - could see it coming a mile away.

It’s an open year - however we are playing teams at the right time - Carlton, Sydney, Melbourne, Crows are all down.

Freo will be a great test.

 

[Elixuh]

I had a hunch, which turned into a theory, which last night turned into fact.

This thread is the source of Kenny’s power and he grows stronger everyday, by every post, by every page.

The age of Kenneth Hinkley is upon us.

 

[JimmyBC]

I had a hunch, which turned into a theory, which last night turned into fact.

This thread is the source of Kenny’s power and he grows stronger everyday, by every post, by every page.

The age of Kenneth Hinkley is upon us.

Kenneth has Brisbane on the September menu you should be petrified.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I had a hunch, which turned into a theory, which last night turned into fact.

This thread is the source of Kenny’s power and he grows stronger everyday, by every post, by every page.

The age of Kenneth Hinkley is upon us.

So my by estimates another 5000 posts and he might actually have the strength to deliver a premiership?

Let's do it.

Sack Hinkley