Ken Hinkley changed Port Adelaide in 2013, putting them under his wing for a rollercoaster ride of a season; from an undisciplined squad to a well-respected club across Australia.
Port made the right decision to choose Hinkley as coach and also welcome back their ex-high performance manger Darren Burgess, who helped the team get an edge over their opponents in the last quarter.
David Koch was also appointed the new president and with his financial background, Port will be on the right track.
Hinkley developed young players like first-year player Oliver Wines, Cameron O’Shea and Andrew Moore into future stars who should take Port Adelaide a long way.
He has also developed the leadership skills of star captain Travis Boak and vice-captain Brad Ebert, who only arrived at the club in 2011’s pre-season.
The Power had a miracle start to 2013. Consecutive wins over the Demons, Suns, Giants, Crows and Eagles saw them sitting second on the ladder behind only Essendon– a fairytale start for Hinkley and his side.
But Port Adelaide couldn’t keep this winning run going, with five straight losses to the Roos, Tigers, Blues, Cats and the Bulldogs. The bye gave Port a well-deserved rest for their comeback wins at the start of the year.
They came back from the bye firing with a dominant game against the Giants – exactly what Port needed to get their season back on track. Hinkley’s hard fought efforts to pull this team into line were finally paying off.
Port Adelaide’s biggest game of the season arose on a wet winter’s day against the Swans, with the odds stacked against them given the Swans are one of the best wet weather footy teams in the AFL. The Port players’ aggression paid off with a great win over the Swans, giving supporters faith they could make it to the finals.
Many AFL followers did not think Port could follow up the outstanding performance against the Swannies, but they then managed to keep their feet and blow the Magpies off the park at home. Port were now in reach of a 2013 finals berth.
Hinkley’s side then lost the next two games against the Bombers and the Hawks, but no one would ever have expected them to win two out of the four games against premiership contenders. They did, however, come out on top against the Saints and the Lions in their next two games.
The last Showdown at AAMI stadium was the best of all time. Port looked down and out with five minutes left in the finalquarter, but Wingard, Boak, Monfries and Westhoff took over to kick the last four goals of the game.
Port overcame the Crows by four points, with Wingard dominating and definitely cementing an All-Australian spot.
Ken Hinkley still wasn’t satisfied and wanted a top eight spot. Port won one of the next four games to secure a finals berth, finishing seventh.
Port Adelaide was matched up against Collinwood in their first finals game since the tragic 2007 grand final loss to Geelong. Port’s never give up attitude helped them over the line in a great game, and they were now faced with one of their biggest challenges against the Cats at the MCG.
Port controlled the tempo in the first half and were on the road to an amazing win until Geelong’s experience and class dominated the third quarter to even up the scores for an electrifying final term.
Geelong started the fourth quarter as they finished the third. Justin Westhoff kicked what would be goal of the year and then Hamish Hartlett’s snap at goal saw Port Adelaide’s confidence rise, but the Cats were too strong and classy in the end.
Port fans get ready to put your sunglasses on – the future looks bright!
2013 rating: 8.5/10
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