The AFL future of Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley should become clearer on Monday as Gold Coast continue to hover.
Despite Port’s demand on Friday that the Suns stop trying to poach Hinkley, the expansion club remains a crucial factor.
Channel Nine’s Footy Show reported on Sunday that Sydney assistant Stuart Dew, a candidate for the Suns job, postponed his interview with the club.
Dew apparently wants to see what happens at the Power but it is also understood he remains a Gold Coast candidate.
Hinkley’s Monday interview with local radio station 5AA will attract plenty of interest.
He has not spoken at length publicly since his team’s heartbreaking elimination final loss to West Coast.
Hinkley, Port’s coach since 2013, has a year left on his contract and Power president David Koch said last week the club would soon have talks with him about extending it.
The speculation is that Gold Coast are prepared to offer Hinkley a five-year deal.
“He’s been very silent around it – I think he’s played it beautifully,” former Port star Kane Cornes said on The Footy Show.
“He’s got himself in a bidding war with one football club wanting him badly – Gold Coast – with a five-year deal on the table and Port Adelaide also want him as well.
“Until he comes out and says ‘I’m staying at Port Adelaide, I’m extending my contract’, this will continue to bubble away.”
Port issued a statement on Friday after the Suns approached Hinkley’s manager.
“Port Adelaide has advised the Gold Coast Suns that Hinkley has advised the Gold Coast Suns that Hinkley is under contract until the end of 2018 and is not on the market,” they said.
Brayden Rise
Roar Pro
Why chase the short term gain and leave a club full of history and passion to one who has no history and no passion? There is no light at the end of the Suns tunnel, the move there will be the finish of a potential career coach?
David C
Guest
He can't stand Koch, he'll be gone.
Birdman
Guest
Kochie is gonna have to add at least a couple of years and an extra $200k a year to Port's offer to keep Hinkley - and he thought it was ok to light a fire under Hinkley after the elim final just to play to the fans' disappointment.
Leonard
Guest
Aren't Port's difficulties far deeper and broader than just one (thoroughly decent) bloke? (i) a president who doesn't know his place - which is not (as in his 'day' job) to keep getting headlines and other media pixels; (ii) a playing list which reckons it is far better than what it really is; and (iii) a fickle supporter base, many of whom seem to think that the AFL is just an enlarged SANFL absent two letters. About (iii): Port's Home average (AO) crowd has dropped from 2014's 44364 to this season's 38135, a loss of over 6000, that is 1/7th of 2014's. Doesn't the pathetic barely 41000 (= 20% empty seats) for their EF surely show how un-supporter-like their fans are? Ominously, there's a precedent for this: Port's debut season Home (FP) average was 35828 (still its overall fifth top average), but in two seasons it went sub-30000 and stayed there (because their fans stayed home) for all but six FP seasons. Question: are those 'crowd shrouds' rolled up somewhere for future use?
Peter the Scribe
Guest
Don't do it Ken. Why join that soulless team that has now become a coaching career destroyer? If you do it will be your last senior coaching gig.