Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

[mjp]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

Glad he copped a 20k fine just for being a dickhead, show a bit of class and not act like a school boy.

With respect, acting like a school boy is not bringing the game into disrepute.

I have spoken before about the incredible pressure I felt just two years ago coaching a state league COLTS team. I felt the club had essentially turned their back on me when they refused to defend a 'misconduct' charge which was a complete fabrication...anyway, a long story. But it really did become me and the players vs the world for a couple of months there...

Flapping his arms at the Hawthorn players after winning a game without his two star half backs (the singular strength of his footy side), his best midfielder under an injury cloud and the worst forward in the league with the POTENTIAL exception of North Melbourne (I mean, at least they have Larkey!) all whilst being directly undermined by a couple of members on the PA board who have openly said they wanted him replaced as coach...

Honestly.

The whole hoo-haa with Luke Breust's 300th etc...apparently it's now more disrespectful to flap your arms whilst he's being carried off than it is to MAKE HIM THE SUB for his milestone match - which is a complete joke by the way...no mention of the disrespect from Mitchell which was there for all to see.

It's an emotional environment and sometimes those directly involved get carried away. Sicily is lucky Hinkley didn't double down and perform a pantomime of a set shot crashing into the behind post directly costing his team the game. If you want to show leadership, there is no need to engage with the oppo AFTER the game if you just kick straight during it.

I am so sick of the self righteousness of these peanuts from Hawthorn. YES - they have some young players but some of that is smoke and mirrors...their footy side has more experience in it than most people seem to realise and if you are going to carry on with selfies and flexing to the crowd (versus acknowledging your team-mates) when a goal is kicked, then you don't get to say A WORD when it comes back the other way.

I do want to say something about Ginnivan though. He gets it. He mouths off but he cops it coming back. No complaints from me about him...at least he owns his behaviour which is more than I can say than for Sicily and Mitchell.

[EasternWest]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

With respect, acting like a school boy is not bringing the game into disrepute.

I have spoken before about the incredible pressure I felt just two years ago coaching a state league COLTS team. I felt the club had essentially turned their back on me when they refused to defend a 'misconduct' charge which was a complete fabrication...anyway, a long story. But it really did become me and the players vs the world for a couple of months there...

Flapping his arms at the Hawthorn players after winning a game without his two star half backs (the singular strength of his footy side), his best midfielder under an injury cloud and the worst forward in the league with the POTENTIAL exception of North Melbourne (I mean, at least they have Larkey!) all whilst being directly undermined by a couple of members on the PA board who have openly said they wanted him replaced as coach...

Honestly.

The whole hoo-haa with Luke Breust's 300th etc...apparently it's now more disrespectful to flap your arms whilst he's being carried off than it is to MAKE HIM THE SUB for his milestone match - which is a complete joke by the way...no mention of the disrespect from Mitchell which was there for all to see.

It's an emotional environment and sometimes those directly involved get carried away. Sicily is lucky Hinkley didn't double down and perform a pantomime of a set shot crashing into the behind post directly costing his team the game. If you want to show leadership, there is no need to engage with the oppo AFTER the game if you just kick straight during it.

I am so sick of the self righteousness of these peanuts from Hawthorn. YES - they have some young players but some of that is smoke and mirrors...their footy side has more experience in it than most people seem to realise and if you are going to carry on with selfies and flexing to the crowd (versus acknowledging your team-mates) when a goal is kicked, then you don't get to say A WORD when it comes back the other way.

I do want to say something about Ginnivan though. He gets it. He mouths off but he cops it coming back. No complaints from me about him...at least he owns his behaviour which is more than I can say than for Sicily and Mitchell.

Hinkley was funny. We need to get over it.

Couldn't agree more in Ginnivan. Gets as good as he gives and just plays footy. I'm a fan.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

Yep agree on Ginnivan, makes me actually like him.

[Mantis]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

Yep agree on Ginnivan, makes me actually like him.

Yep.

He gives zero ****s and is clearly having fun which is refreshing in a competition full of robots.

[Happy Days]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

I love Ginni. I wanted us to pick him up so badly.

[josie]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

Imagine Ginnivan and Weightman together in our F50. Footy would be fun just watching oppo supporters lose it at least once a game.

[mighty_west]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

With respect, acting like a school boy is not bringing the game into disrepute.

I have spoken before about the incredible pressure I felt just two years ago coaching a state league COLTS team. I felt the club had essentially turned their back on me when they refused to defend a 'misconduct' charge which was a complete fabrication...anyway, a long story. But it really did become me and the players vs the world for a couple of months there...

Flapping his arms at the Hawthorn players after winning a game without his two star half backs (the singular strength of his footy side), his best midfielder under an injury cloud and the worst forward in the league with the POTENTIAL exception of North Melbourne (I mean, at least they have Larkey!) all whilst being directly undermined by a couple of members on the PA board who have openly said they wanted him replaced as coach...

Honestly.

The whole hoo-haa with Luke Breust's 300th etc...apparently it's now more disrespectful to flap your arms whilst he's being carried off than it is to MAKE HIM THE SUB for his milestone match - which is a complete joke by the way...no mention of the disrespect from Mitchell which was there for all to see.

It's an emotional environment and sometimes those directly involved get carried away. Sicily is lucky Hinkley didn't double down and perform a pantomime of a set shot crashing into the behind post directly costing his team the game. If you want to show leadership, there is no need to engage with the oppo AFTER the game if you just kick straight during it.

I am so sick of the self righteousness of these peanuts from Hawthorn. YES - they have some young players but some of that is smoke and mirrors...their footy side has more experience in it than most people seem to realise and if you are going to carry on with selfies and flexing to the crowd (versus acknowledging your team-mates) when a goal is kicked, then you don't get to say A WORD when it comes back the other way.

I do want to say something about Ginnivan though. He gets it. He mouths off but he cops it coming back. No complaints from me about him...at least he owns his behaviour which is more than I can say than for Sicily and Mitchell.

Fair call but still agree with the AFL coming down hard on Hinkley, as for the Hawks, they kind of remind me of GWS when first starting out and carrying on like they were king shit with all these first round pricks i mean picks, mentioned earlier in the thread before Hinkley copped the fine that Ginni was fine, he's flamboyant but good value, not particularly a fan of Sicily but i like a captain to stand up for his troops, Sam Mitchell, what's that word that rhymes with Banker?

[SquirrelGrip]

Re: Port Adelaide - The Great Pretenders

Sam Mitchell, what's that word that rhymes with Banker?

Half forward flanker?

[GVGjr]

From Code Sports - Are they a threat or a tease?

t’s been a case of so close yet so far for over a decade at Port Adelaide.

Is 2025 finally their year to reach the last Saturday in September?

Or will there be yet another decision to make on Ken Hinkley’s future come the end of the season?

Matt Turner analyses where the Power are at, where they’re headed and everything in between.

SURPRISE PACKET OF 2024

Port Adelaide and coach Ken Hinkley were booed in Logan Evans’s debut game against Brisbane in June. It was an inauspicious start for the mid-season draftee. But from there he blossomed in the Power’s defence. The Norwood product did not miss a game after his debut, featuring in 13 in total, including all three Port finals. Evans showed poise and confidence in possession, took more kick-ins than any Power player across their last four games, started many attacking forays with neat passes through the corridor and shone in some of the club’s biggest matches – he was one of Port’s best in the thrilling semi-final victory over Hawthorn. With Dan Houston gone, expect Evans to take on more responsibility next year.
INS AND OUTS


IN: Rory Atkins (trade, Gold Coast), Benny Barrett (Category B rookie), Joe Berry (No.15 draft pick), Tom Cochrane (Rookie Draft), Jack Lukosius (trade, Gold Coast), Christian Moraes (No.38 draft pick), Jacob Moss (Category B rookie), Joe Richards (trade, Collingwood), Jack Whitlock (No.33 draft pick)

OUT: Tom Clurey (delisted), Charlie Dixon (retired), Francis Evans (delisted), Dan Houston (trade, Collingwood), Kyle Marshall (delisted), Tom McCallum (delisted), Trent McKenzie (retired), Quinton Narkle (delisted), Tom Scully (delisted)

PREDICTED 2025 BEST 23

FB: Logan Evans, Aliir Aliir, Miles Bergman
HB: Lachie Jones, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Kane Farrell
C: Jase Burgoyne, Willem Drew, Travis Boak
HF: Willie Rioli, Jack Lukosius, Jason Horne-Francis
FF: Joe Richards, Mitch Georgiades, Sam Powell-Pepper
FOLL: Jordon Sweet, Zak Butters, Connor Rozee
INT: Jackson Mead, Ollie Wines, Josh Sinn, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Todd Marshall

WHO’S PLAYING FOR A CONTRACT?

Miles Bergman will be highly sought in his home state of Victoria as he enters the final season of his deal. The Sandringham Dragons product backed up his eighth-placed finish in the club’s 2023 best-and-fairest by polling ninth this year. Asked to play on some of the opposition’s best forwards, Bergman is a versatile defender who marks well for his size and has a penetrating kick. He eventually wants to move into the midfield. Will that be at the Power? Port believes Bergman is more settled in Adelaide now than in past seasons and is hopeful he stays.

COACH STATUS

en Hinkley is again entering the last season of his contract. After 13 years at the helm and with senior assistant Josh Carr waiting in the wings, you wonder if this will be Hinkley’s last campaign at the Power. Hinkley is Port Adelaide’s longest-serving AFL coach but no one in the league has been in charge for as many games and not made a grand final. He has led the club to four preliminary finals, including one this year, and the Power has won the third-most games in the competition during his tenure. Yet he remains a lightning rod for criticism among the Power faithful because of the club’s September failures. Hinkley’s squad is well placed for another finals tilt. Outsiders have been quick to tip Port to slide in 2025, but the former Geelong star has defied doubters plenty of times.

LAST YEAR IN CONTRACT

Tom Anastasopoulos, Rory Atkins, Miles Bergman, Travis Boak, Jase Burgoyne, Ryan Burton, Lachie Charleson, Logan Evans, Jeremy Finlayson, Kane Farrell, Hugh Jackson, Will Lorenz, Jed McEntee, Josh Sinn, Dante Visentini, Dylan Williams

POSITION THAT NEEDS TO BE FILLED AND WHO CAN FILL IT?

Houston’s halfback spot is the obvious one. Burgoyne was best on ground in that role during the semi-final, but he made the wing his own this year and was expected to stay there in 2025. As long as he remained healthy, Sinn should play far more than the six games he did this year. Sweet-kicking Kane Farrell, who missed the finals due to a hamstring injury, became more crucial the moment Houston was traded to Collingwood. Port may not have an All-Australian sitting there to replace Houston but with Burgoyne, Sinn, Farrell, Logan Evans, Miles Bergman, Ryan Burton and recruit Rory Atkins, it has options.

BURNING QUESTION

Can they finally reach the big one? A grand final has eluded the Power during Hinkley’s 12-year tenure. The club’s last appearance in an AFL premiership decider came in 2007. Its only top-level flag was in 2004. Port Adelaide has stressed it is never wants to rebuild, which means trying to compete every year and finding more creative ways to do so while regenerating its list. That is admirable in some ways. Only Brisbane has won more games than Port Adelaide over the past five seasons. But the Lions have two grand finals and one flag to show for it and the Power has not been able to get past three preliminary finals. Port’s finals record during that span is 3-6. The Power will continue to be criticised for its September shortcomings unless it gets over the preliminary final hump. Brisbane has shown it can be done. The Lions were 5-7 from 2019-2023 before becoming the second side under this finals system (along with Western Bulldogs in 2016) to win four consecutive major-round matches and claim a flag.

[GVGjr]

The one thing you can say about Port is they're active list managers and get some trades done.
The team looks very capable of making another run at it.

[Bulldog Joe]

The one thing you can say about Port is they're active list managers and get some trades done.
The team looks very capable of making another run at it.

While they have been active, have they ever got what they really need. Their best trade in last year proved to be Jordon Sweet, who was just an after thought for them.

While Aliir has been very good, they have lacked a really strong tall defender to support him and they have also been deficient in key forwards with Charlie Dixon being just short of the game changer they needed.
Lukosius might make a difference, but he seems more outside the contest type when they really need a key tall for the contest.

Everyone wants to blame Hinkley, but he has done really well with a list that has always been just a player or 2 short of what is needed.

[Grantysghost]

Boak seems to have a contract in perpetuity.

From what I've seen it's probably time to move on.

He's probably going into coaching ?

[Mofra]

He certainly can't play mid, his defensive capacity was still pretty good last year though. I think he'll be nursed through the year.

[Axe Man]

Ken's last dance: Hinkley to hand over Power's coaching reins

KEN Hinkley will hand over the coaching reins at Port Adelaide to Josh Carr for 2026, with Hinkley to coach his final season at the Power this year.

AFL.com.au understands the Power will on Wednesday confirm their coaching succession plan, with 2025 to be Hinkley's final season at the helm.

Port Adelaide players were informed of the historic coaching transfer on Wednesday morning.

It comes after Hinkley has had discussions with Port football boss Chris Davies in recent weeks of the pre-season about his future, with the Power now committing to the official succession plan. 2004 premiership player Carr will take on the role at the end of the 2025 season, no matter how the Power fare this year, as Hinkley completes his 13th and final year in charge of the team.

Carr has agreed to a three-year deal as senior coach, starting in 2026 and running through to 2028. He will be more involved in the Power's recruiting and list management meetings and strategy this season, but there will be little other change to the club's setup, with Hinkley to continue in all normal senior coaching duties and with no formal changes to game-day responsibilities.

Hinkley signed a two-year contract extension late in 2023 through to the end of 2025 and has worked with the club and Carr in the past two years to help prepare his midfield assistant for the senior role. The announcement ahead of round one and the Power's practice games gives clarity to the situation and allows Port to attack the flag one last time under Hinkley without the uncertain spectre of being out of contract.

A confirmed finish for Hinkley at Alberton Oval for this year has only recently been officially decided, with Carr to be only the Power's fifth full-time senior coach. He will take over from Hinkley, who was appointed to the role ahead of the 2013 season and has steered the club to seven finals series, with an overall winning percentage of 60.

"I've enjoyed open dialogue with the club for some time now in regards to this being my final season in charge," Hinkley said.

"I, along with our leaders at the club, always have an eye for the future and as I've been saying for the last year, Josh Carr is absolutely the best person to take over as senior coach at the right time.

"I still have a burning desire to lead this club in 2025. I'm fresh and recharged and have the privilege of leading a very driven playing and coaching group.

"But come the end of the season, it will be time to hand the baton to Josh who would have experienced a further 12 months' growth as a senior assistant. Without question, Josh will be ready to coach in his own right."

Hinkley started at the Power when the club was in financial ruin and has been a pivotal force in the reestablishment of Port as a regular flag contender, making the preliminary final in four seasons as well as helping guide it to off-field stability and record membership.

Since taking over at the start of 2013, Port has won 165 games (including finals), behind only Geelong and Sydney in that time. Since the start of 2020, the Power has defied expectations of dropping down the ladder, winning 77 games, which is behind only Geelong and Brisbane in the period, marking the club's consistency across Hinkley's tenure.

The coach has also been pivotal in player retention at the club, forging strong relationships with stars, including midfield jet Zak Butters, who have had lucrative deals thrown their way to return to home states.

Carr's ascent to be the next coach at Port Adelaide became clearer when he knocked back Richmond's overtures to be the Tigers' next senior coach in 2023 to stick with Port, where he had returned following his stint as an assistant with Fremantle.

He has a jam-packed coaching resume, including coaching North Adelaide's 2018 SANFL premiership, which included now Power skipper Connor Rozee before he was drafted, and has built strong relationships with the Port Adelaide list since returning to the club.

[hujsh]

This probably moves the needle on Butters potentially moving doesn't it?

...then I saw Vred's post in the trade rumors thread. Well done me

[Mofra]

I'm actually going to be pretty interested to see how they go this year. They'll have a makeshift tall structure in the F50 due to Dixon's retirement and injury concerns, and SPP to come back post-ACL. I think they'll be boom or bust ahead of the ball and I wonder if they'll get desperate and swing Esava forward at times