Strong Port win won’t change coach Hinkley’s approach

Alex Mitchell | March 21, 2023

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says his side’s impressive round-one win has done little to change his outlook as speculation swirls around his future at the club.

Hinkley’s contract is up at the end of the season and Port president David Koch insists no call will be made until the end of the year, leaving the 10-year coach to sweat it out and deal with constant pressure.

The club has previously declared reaching finals as the minimum expectation, something that looked more than achievable in a 54-point smashing of Brisbane on Saturday.

But asked if the win helped his capacity to do his job and deal with external speculation, Hinkley answer was simple.

“Not really, that doesn’t really bother me,” he told Fox Footy.

“The club and myself, we’ve certainly set the scene for what this year looks like for us and then what happens throughout the season, that will be determined by a whole season and the results of the whole season.

“Whatever happens at the end we’re both comfortable with where that sits.”

But Hinkley admitted it was a vital win for the mood of the group, showing their pre-season grind season was putting them on the right path.

“I can’t sit here tonight and say it doesn’t make a big difference. You start your season full of optimism and you want to make sure you get away to a good start,” he said.

“We were very comfortable that our pre-season was really strong, but the one game we displayed on television suggested a little bit different.

“It makes a massive difference to the group when they walk in … we had a pretty big build-up for the game, and we needed to get it right.”