Michelangelo Rucci stated in last week’s The Advertiser that it would take a lot of spin for Port Adelaide to pass off Ken Hinkley’s recent appointment as coach as their first choice. Boy was he right.
What I don’t think he expected, however, was just how farcical the process creating this illusion would become.
Port’s coaching saga started infamously, with the high-profile sacking of Matthew Primus after his lacklustre team was humiliated at the hands of the GWS Giants.
It then took a remarkable 64 days to find a new man for the job, displaying a remarkable lack of thought, something the Power is regrettably building a reputation for.
Since Hinkley’s appointment, however, the plaudits for Hinkley have started pouring in, as well as the press statements from the club trying to convince all and sundry that “we always wanted Ken”.
While Hinkley no doubt deserves all praise heaped on him, having been a successful assistant coach at Geelong and overseeing the development of youngsters at the Gold Coast Suns, no one in their right mind can believe that his appointment was the first and only one on Port’s mind.
Let’s not forget that almost immediately after Primus’ sacking, chief executive Keith Thomas publicly stated the club would pursue an experienced coach with money being no object.
Rodney Eade and Brett Ratten were both, at one point or another, favoured for the job, and both pulled out in rapid succession. The job then became a two-horse race between Leon Cameron and Ken Hinkley; Cameron subsequently joining the GWS in what looks to be the AFL’s next successful succession plan.
But if you believe the hype, this was all ‘due process’ and the Power always had their heart set on Ken. Then why were they seemingly so set back by Cameron’s appointment by GWS?
Why did club board member and premiership full-back Darryl Wakelin admit to the process being embarrassing and bad for the club’s public image?
Why would the Power presumably tell Hinkley, “It’s okay, mate, we want you, but we’re going to wait 64 days for all other candidates to fall away until we’re almost late for trade month.”
Bull dust.
There is no shame in being a fourth choice, as Malcolm Blight so astutely pointed out; so was Chris Scott at Geelong. And there is no doubt Hinkley is a top bloke and a top coach, but seriously, the situation is not ideal.
Since his appointment, several key free agents have moved clubs, the appointment of a new president has occurred, and the trade period has begun, with the Power forced into reshaping its list after losing Danyle Pearce to Fremantle and Troy Chaplin to Richmond.
This occurred without the guidance of a senior coach.
While many may leap to the defense of the Power claiming the pick of Angus Monfries via trade was a coup for the club despite the circumstances, this is a hollow argument considering what else has transpired in the last two weeks in regards to player movement.
Brendan Goddard and Brian Lake, two experienced and intelligent footballers who could conceivably aid the Power’s youngster in their development and give the supporters something to be excited about, were both on the market during this period.
The reality of the Power getting either of these blokes was very low, but how they could use them – and they were nowhere near getting them.
Jonathan Giles, a former Power player, now looks set to leave the Giants, and he’s another big bodied mature player the Power could use – and they’re two weeks behind rival clubs like Adelaide to tempt him.
If you take the argument that the Power are after a complete refit that’s fair, but even in this regard other clubs seem to be miles ahead, with Melbourne and St Kilda grabbing key young talents through the GWS mini draft (again, no Power involvement).
The Bulldogs have been steadily building a long list of high draft picks, and Richmond made the most of the free agency period getting a key defender in Chaplin and a long-kicking half-back in Adelaide’s Chris Knights.
Port looks miles behind the rest of the AFL world in its list building. And if any of this is a result of them waiting a ridiculously long time to get the man they ‘always wanted’, then they’re once again paying the price for their own poor planning.
Either way, the Power has shot itself in the foot. Again.
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