I can’t speak highly enough of Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and the administrators that brought him to our great club.
Ken was interviewed by the Saints, Cats and Tigers and talked to the Dogs and Demons about their vacancies.
After missing out on these he could been excused in thinking he would be a career assistant and thus he settled into his role at a new club, the Gold Coast Suns.
When it came out that we signed Hinkley, the word was that experienced coaches Rodney Eade and Brett Ratten said no.
Plus our wanted man, Leon Cameron decided on Mark Williams’ old job as senior assistant at GWS.
So we got Hinkley as the last man standing.
The real story is that Port came courting early on. Kenny said no at first because he didn’t want to move his family. But after consulting them, he received their approval and told the Power he was interested.
By that time, the above three coaches had said no and the job was his.
Lucky for Port, he was the right man for the job. An outsider, a family man and an AFL defender with over 100 games under his belt. And as an assistant he took the Cats to their 2007 premiership.
All good signs.
A bit about Hinkley’s history.
He was born just after grand final day in 1966, the year where Port lost to Sturt and our 12 year premiership drought began.
In the VFL, the Saints took out their one and only flag by one point over Collingwood.
He grew up in Camberdown, in south-west Victoria, in a family of ten kids. His parents were hard working dairy farmers and school bus operators.
Ken says, “They just worked hard. Good honest country people. They worked hard to raise a big country family. Not sure how they did it but they got it done.”‘
Kenny was a good junior footballer. He was recruited by the Roys and played 11 games in 1997/88 then he was off to Geelong.
He played as a rebounding defender and he was AA half-back in 1991 and 1992, the latter year he won the Cats’ Best and Fairest.
In the same year he finished third in the Brownlow, behind winner Scott Wynd and Hawthorn’s Jason Dunstall.
Ken appeared in 12 finals with Geelong, including the 1992, 1994 and 1995 grand final losses.
Overall, Kenny played 121 games with Geelong of a total of 132 games with 79 goals.
He was a defender in the ilk of Kevin Sheedy and Mick Malthouse, two quality coaches that he would do well to emulate.
He started coaching in 1996, near his home town at nearby Mortlake, who hadn’t won a flag since 1975. They continued to struggle, even under Ken.
“They were tough years at Mortlake. I appreciated wanting to coach. If I had gone to a club and it was nice and easy I would have got a misunderstanding of what the game was about,” Ken said.
In 1999 he was given the chance to head home to coach Camperdown Magpies.
They immediately won their first flag since 1970 and won again in 2000. “I was lucky to be in charge. Anyone could have got them over the line.”
Malcom Blight had just got the Saints job in late 2000 and lured his former players over to Moorabbin.
Blight only lasted there til mid 2001. Kenny says “Blight was the champ. A coaching genius.”
“I would never have thought he would lose the job. Nothing surprises me too much in football anymore, I’m prepared for anything that happens.”
After going back to the Geelong league in 2002, he took Bell Park to a grand final in the next year. They drew, and won the replay by six goals.
Bomber Thompson and Geelong came calling … he joined Brendan McCartney and Brenton Sanderson there in 2004.
Kenny said, “Bomber wanted players to win their own ball, go hard at the contest … you can see that in Brendan and Sando’s coaching and in my early days at Port.”
Geelong player and a good friend, Andrew Mackie said “he is very encouraging and hates losing. He doesn’t beat around the bush … he tells it as it is.”
Other insights from Andrew, “Ken hates flying. He’s a good family man. He and his wife cook a mean butterscotch pudding.”
Kenny was a key behind the Cats attacking game plan in 2007-09. After the flag win he put his hand up for the vacant Tigers’ job.
He missed out and decided to get out of Melbourne and took up a job as assistant under Guy McKenna at the Gold Coast.
But he still had one eye on an AFL head coaching gig. A succession of rejections though threatened to dampen his spirit.
However, just a few years later, he is in the head coaches’ chair at the Power.
Under Ken’s tutelage Port has stunned the AFL and have gone from basket case to ladder leaders in a few short months.
The critics say we haven’t beaten anyone…keep thinking that, I say!
Ken’s journey to Alberton has been interesting and filled with ups and downs.
Let’s hope his next few years lead us to September glory!
There is no reason it can’t …Ken has said “we set no limits and this team will never give up.”
As the banner says: “KEN OATH”!
Ken has the pedigree. He has the board, players and supporters behind him.
Let’s all enjoy the ride!
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