Matthew Richardson Q&A: Port Adelaide’s chief executive opens up on how the club is tracking on and off field
Why the August contract extension for Ken Hinkley? What makes him the right person? Will there be a succession plan? Power chief Matthew Richardson answers all the big questions.
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Port Adelaide is gearing up to face Brisbane at the Gabba in the AFL’s qualifying final next week, just as the Power’s women’s team prepares for the start of its second AFLW campaign.
It is a busy time in what has already been a lively season for Port Adelaide chief executive Matthew Richardson, whose club has extended coach Ken Hinkley’s contract, kept senior assistant Josh Carr amid links to Richmond, had its captain Tom Jonas squeezed out of the AFL side, been fined $100,000 for breaching concussion protocols, won 13 consecutive games after a 1-2 start and entered the latest phase of a $30m redevelopment of Alberton Oval.
Matt Turner had a lengthy chat with Richardson this week about those topics.
Matt Turner: Last year the men had a disappointing season, finishing 11th. This year the side bounced back to qualify third with a 17-6 record. What have been the main changes to get the team in this position?
Matthew Richardson: We’ve always had great belief in the group and talent that we’ve got. Last year there were a range of reasons why we started the way we did (0-5) and it was a great credit to the coaches and players that we were still contending right to the end. We always said this year was important to get off to a good start and even then, we were challenged. We’ve always been really excited about this next group of players coming and I think people have seen that group emerge this year. So there’s been that transition going on. If you dig into that demographic of our list, we’re actually the youngest team in the finals (from all the round 24 selected teams). (Connor) Rozee, (Zak) Butters, (Jason) Horne-Francis, (Todd) Marshall, (Sam) Powell-Pepper, (Willem) Drew – the core of that group is not 26, it’s an average age of 22 to 23. Clearly the emergence of that group has been significant. We’ve not had everything go our way and had challenges from an injury and availability perspective. There were little things that we changed at the start of the year and it’s been a whole lot of little things to get us to where we are. There’s never a silver bullet. There’s never one thing.
MT: What makes you confident this year is going to be different to 2020 and 2021 when you were knocked out in preliminary finals?
MR: Our path this year is going to be different. Rather than have home qualifying finals, we go to Brisbane next Saturday night and we’re excited about that. We’ve shown resilience throughout the year and if you look at the group leading us, we’re not relying just on (older players like) Ollie Wines and Travis Boak. We’ve got a very different mix that are young and excited by the opportunity.
MT: A lot was made about the August contract deadline for Ken’s contract talks. Why did the club do that, rather than have the discussion at the end of the season when you had the full picture?
MR: Go back to February, we knew the year we were stepping into. Last year of contract, all the pressure that comes with that. Putting that off until August was basically saying ‘how do we get it out of the way and give people the time and space to get on with the job, and give Ken and the whole program the best opportunity to be successful?’ Pushing it to August absolutely did that. And it gives you time to see ‘how is this going?’
MT: Why not wait until the end of the year?
MR: Our football strategic committee were meeting monthly across the year and assessing the progress and development of our whole program. There was a lot of detail that went into this process across the year. They presented a recommendation to our board in August, as we said we would. We’re going into a finals campaign and if you’ve got belief in your people and in your program like we do, by creating a void of uncertainty, it says ‘we don’t believe in you and we don’t trust you’. That’s not how we want to operate. People perform best when they feel good about themselves and know they have confidence and belief around them, so it didn’t make sense (to wait). Also, our program continues to evolve. There are important decisions going on now that wouldn’t be happening if we didn’t have our coach locked in. We’ve got great belief Ken is the right person to lead this group to a premiership in the next couple of years.
MT: Does re-signing him in August open you up for criticism if you have an unsuccessful finals series? The sentiment out there will be you should have waited.
MR: We can’t and shouldn’t plan for hypotheticals. We’ve done an excellent job to stay in the moment this season and that’s even more important going into September. You have to make decisions on what’s real, not what might or might not happen. The flipside is we’re doing everything we possibly can to give ourselves the best chance of being successful in September. Making sure we’ve got a program and our people locked in is the best way for us to be successful in September. Ultimately to win in September and win a grand final, you still need things to go your way so it doesn’t guarantee you anything. But we’ve got a list we’ve got great belief in now and into the future. And our strong belief is Ken is absolutely the right coach to lead this group.
MT: Why is Ken the right person?
MR: It talks for itself, doesn’t it? If you step back from things enough and look at the environment – are they learning? Are they enjoying it? Are people performing at their best? Are they improving? We look at all of those elements, and make a decision on who is the best person to lead as senior coach. We have a playing group who are ready to win now, as well as in the next few years. You don’t take risks with that. Some have a view that change is a good thing and automatically gets a better outcome. That’s just not real. The clear answer to all those questions is an emphatic “yes”.
MT: Will Josh Carr coach Port Adelaide after Ken?
MR: We rate Josh really highly and we’re thrilled that he decided to step out of the Richmond process and stay at Port Adelaide. Josh has said that one day he wants to be a senior coach and we want to help him in working towards that. He’s made the decision that this is the right environment for him to continue that journey.
MT: How did the club keep Josh when there was a senior opportunity there for him?
MR: That was Josh’s decision. He’s got a young family, four kids, they’ve just relocated back from Perth. He’s got an excellent relationship with Ken and the coaching team and can see the growth in our group. If you were leading the midfield group he is here at Port Adelaide, why would you want to go anywhere else?
MT: Do you expect him to knock back any future senior opportunities?
MR: Ultimately that’s a question for Josh. What I do know is Josh is very committed to Port Adelaide and he’s built great relationships with our midfield group in a short space of time. He’s much valued and well respected by our entire playing and coaching group.
MT: The club’s been careful not to say there’s any potential future handover.
MR: We haven’t been careful, it’s just that there isn’t. Josh came back as an assistant coach and that hasn’t changed.
MT: Are you open to a succession plan?
MR: It’s very difficult to say what happens in two or three years. Ken’s the best person to be our senior coach for the next two years and Josh continuing as an important part of our coaching group makes our program better.
MT: So if there was a coaching changeover, would you go to market or do you feel like you have got the person, in Josh, here already?
MR: Our focus is on the now so I’m not sure what we’d do in two years. But if you look at other parts of our club we’ve always looked to continue to grow and develop people internally and give people the opportunity to progress if we think that they’re the best people to do that job at that time.
MT: Tom Jonas has been a warrior for the club. Will it be bittersweet if he cannot come back into the team and it goes on to have success in the finals?
MR: What Tom has done this year has been unbelievable. He’s taken leadership to another level and the example he’s set for his teammates and the whole club, it’s been extraordinary. He deserves enormous credit for how he’s continued to lead and the way he’s carried himself. Tom’s a really proud person and no doubt he’d much rather be playing in the AFL team, but, as he said (at his retirement press conference) it’s as much about the progress of the people around him. He was asked how he’d like to be remembered and Tom could still be remembered as a premiership captain at Port Adelaide. You just never know what could happen.
MT: Will Ollie Wines step up from vice-captain to wear the No. 1 guernsey next year?
MR: Ollie is obviously our vice-captain and has led the group very well when Tom hasn’t been selected. He’s a very important part of our leadership group with Darcy Byrne-Jones. At season’s end we will review, as we always do, and then commence a process across pre-season to select our captain and leadership group for 2024.
MT: What did the club learn from its concussion protocol breach?
MR: Dr Fisher (club doctor Mark Fisher) has said he got it wrong and he’s owned that mistake. He’s an outstanding doctor, one of the best. On the Sunday morning (after the Showdown) we were in contact with the AFL and took full responsibility.
MT: In general, what are AFL clubs doing to navigate the delicate issue of past players’ concussion battles and lawsuits?
MR: If you look at the AFL in context of all the other sports in the world, the AFL is advanced already in terms of the way it’s handling this issue. The challenge in this scenario is you’re always going back in time. You can only make decisions based on the best information and research of that time. Everyone is still learning about this issue, but if you look at the change in rules and medical protocols, the introduction of the head-injury assessment – all of those things would say the AFL is serious about leading this change, as we absolutely should be.
MT: Are you confident the situation that happened the other week won’t happen again?
MR: We had two players, one moment, a big collision, two doctors assessing a complex situation and based on what they were looking at, the doctor made the decision he did. I’m confident the game will continue to do everything we can to minimise the risk.
MT: The new AFLW season is upon us. What is a realistic number of wins for the team in its second campaign? Is finals a bridge too far?
MR: Definitely not. I don’t think you put a ceiling on anything. It’s a little bit different with W because you don’t play everyone once, it’s a short season. We have a really talented, young list and they now know what to expect, plus we’ve added experienced players in Janelle Cuthbertson (ex-Fremantle) and Ash Saint (from Adelaide). Last year we dropped off in second halves. Being able to sustain performance across four quarters is going to be important. They’ve had a full preparation (pre-season) this year. Last year we had 16 debutants and six girls were still doing Year 12. We’ve seen some positive signs in pre-season so far and we start with Adelaide and Brisbane, which will be great tests for us to start the season.
MT: What are your thoughts about the AFLW Showdown being at Norwood, rather than Adelaide Oval?
MR: Last year was the first of the firsts and it was an amazing night at Adelaide Oval with a crowd of more than 20,000. AFLW needs to be different to how AFL is presented and I love the suburban grounds and the experience we’ll be able to create at these venues. We’re looking forward to playing at Norwood Oval and are really excited about what Alberton Oval becomes in the future for AFLW.
MT: A word on Lauren Arnell. She is a trailblazer as the first AFLW senior coach to be in the role while pregnant.
MR: She’s a superstar person, a great coach. So impressive. It’s really important we put all the support around her that she needs and she knows we will. She’s got great people around her. The girls and the club have really connected in behind Lauren and (partner) Lexi’s news.
MT: What is the updated timeline for the Alberton Oval redevelopment? The social club, the Precinct, is obviously complete, but what comes next?
MR: Stage one, the administration centre, will be finished at the end of September and the whole admin team will be back in then. Stage two – the indoor training centre, gym, basketball courts and training field – will be completely done when we come back in January. The new lights are already operational. Then we’re starting to think what the next stage of the redevelopment looks like and what the Port Adelaide Football Club and the community need in five, 10 years.
MT: After men’s finals, attention is going to turn quickly to the trade period. How keen is the club on landing Brodie Grundy and Esava Ratugolea?
MR: Obviously I’m not going to get into specifics. Every single year you’ve got to get better. We’re really excited about our list and its profile. We think the next five years are more exciting than what’s happening right now. But we’re also going to have to strategically add to that and there’s some obvious areas that we’re looking into.
MT: You had a big trade period last year, landing Willie Rioli and Jason Horne-Francis. As someone who is not part of the football program and is seeing him from afar, how would you describe Jason’s growth this year under massive external scrutiny?
MR: He didn’t run until January so I can’t wait to see him after a full pre-season after seeing how he’s performed at times this year. He’s got some really exciting traits but he’s not going to have to do it himself. He’s got a pretty exciting group around him.
MT: Do you feel like he’s a big stage player who will relish playing finals?
MR: I can’t wait to see him play in September.
MT: What would a men’s flag mean to the club if you can go all the way this year?
MR: That’s what we’re here for. Are there decisions you can make that guarantee you can win the premiership? No. But you’ve got to make more good decisions than not to give yourself the best chance to be there. We’ve done the first bit, which is finishing as high as we can, now next week it starts again. We know how much it would mean, first and foremost to our people, but also to this group. When you’re at this club especially, people understand how important it (winning premierships) is.
MT: When the club is playing, what sort of supporter are you? Hitting the person next to you? Yelling at the TV?
MR: No, certainly not, I’m more internal. I might twitch every now and then, but that’s about it. I’m a positive energy person so try not to get too emotional, externally anyway.
MT: What about Kochie – have you seen or heard more from him since he finished on Sunrise?
MR: He’s definitely enjoyed getting up at a normal time at 6am, rather than 3am. The thing I’ve noticed is he’s not quite as regimented as he used to be. His day was so regimented because he just had no spare time. Now he’s got more flexibility. But he’s around no more or less than he was before and he’s certainly as passionate and committed as he’s ever been. Right now he’s overseas on the Virgin Cruise Liner with Richard Branson.
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