Ken Hinkley agrees to a new two-year deal with Port Adelaide

Power coach Ken Hinkley proved to be spot on when he declared before last season: “look out, we’re coming”. Now, he has fresh message after his reappointment.

Ken Hinkley has signed a contract extension with the Power. Picture: Sarah Reed

Ken Hinkley’s catchcry in the lead-up to last season was “look out, we’re coming”.

Now, on the back of a surprise preliminary final and with a team that will have seven 30-year-olds by Round 1, the reappointed Port Adelaide coach has a fresh, snappy sentiment for 2021: “we’re ready”.

“We’re ready to have a go and we’re ready to win (the premiership) – we were in 2020,” Hinkley told reporters on Wednesday, after extending his contract until the end of 2023.

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“We plan on 2021 being a winning season for us and that’s a premiership.

“We are in a position where we have to maximise our opportunity.

“This is a really exciting team, a really strong team.

“With the trust that the board and Richo (chief executive Matthew Richardson) and (football manager) Chris (Davies) have put in our program, I have absolute belief that we’re going to get the ultimate success.”

Ken Hinkley has signed a contract extension with the Power. Picture: Getty Images

Hinkley, who became coach after the 2012 season when the club was on its knees, had already triggered a contract extension to remain at Alberton in 2021 after making the finals last season but talks over the terms were put on hold while the team was in the flag race.

He steered the Power from 10th in 2019 to the minor premiership with a 14-3 record, only to lose to Richmond by six points in the preliminary final.

Hinkley entered last season under intense scrutiny after back-to-back years without finals and he added to it with his “look out, we’re coming” comment in February about aiming for a premiership for the club’s 150th anniversary

But he said the pressure to win a flag would not ease simply because he had re-signed.

“It’s not what I do and not the way I can operate,” he said.

“(The new contract) won’t make any difference to the way I coach.

“We still haven’t achieved what we want to achieve and that’s what Port Adelaide sets out to do.”

Ken Hinkley took the Power to a preliminary final last year. Picture: Sarah Reed

With 178 games in the role, Hinkley is Port Adelaide’s second-longest serving AFL coach, behind premiership mentor Mark Williams.

Williams, the club’s coach from 1999-2010, chalked up 274 matches.

Richardson said stability was a key ingredient of successful clubs.

“We firmly believe that Ken is going to be a premiership coach at Port Adelaide and that’s absolutely the expectation,” Richardson said.