Port Adelaide and under-pressure coach Ken Hinkley will be banking on internal improvement, youth development to make top eight
Ken Hinkley enters 2020 under pressure to make the finals to trigger a contract extension. But Port Adelaide is not going all-in to make the eight, instead building for long-term success.
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Ken Hinkley’s future at Port Adelaide looks likely to hinge on the Power’s internal improvement and development of more youth next season.
Hinkley enters 2020 on the last guaranteed year of his deal and needing to make the finals to trigger a contract extension, but with what may end up being his youngest list since joining the club for the 2013 campaign.
For the first time since 2016, Port did not trade in a player during the exchange period, instead choosing to strengthen its national draft hand.
The Power improved their position to have selections 12, 18, 29, 66, 67, 68 and 71 next month – a year after drafting Connor Rozee (pick five), Zak Butters (12) and Xavier Duursma (18) inside the top 20.
Rozee (22 games), Butters (19) and Duursma (20) all became AFL regulars this past season, providing optimism for the Power as they missed the finals for a second straight year.
Stocking up with young blood again next month benefits Port long-term, but a list rejuvenation and lack of experienced additions are not ideal for a coach already under pressure before round one.
The long-term approach will also challenge what the club craves short-term – a return to the finals to cap its 150th anniversary celebrations next year.
Unlike previous Octobers, there was no Paddy Ryder, Charlie Dixon, Jared Polec, Scott Lycett, Tom Rockliff or Angus Monfries to bolster the squad this exchange period.
Only one other team failed to add to its squad over the past fortnight – reigning premier Richmond, which had the likes of Alex Rance, Sydney Stack, Jack Graham and Jack Higgins on the sidelines on grand final day.
For Port, moving up the draft order this year came at the expense of trading Paddy Ryder (243 games) and Dougal Howard (45) to St Kilda.
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Matthew Broadbent (171) was delisted and Sam Gray (96) was left in limbo after not being traded and was weighing up whether to stay or leave Alberton.
All-Australian ruckman Ryder’s departure means Peter Ladhams, 21, and Sam Hayes, 20, are high-profile 2018 signing Scott Lycett’s main competition and will be first choice in Lycett’s absence.
That will be great for Port long-term but what about for its 2020 finals prospects?
If Gray leaves, the Power will likely to turn to either 20-year-old Kane Farrell (12 games total, seven in 2019) or one of untried duo Boyd Woodcock, 19, and Tobin Cox, 20, to fill his small forward role.
Orazio Fantasia rejected the chance to become a new option in Port’s attack, choosing to stay at Essendon.
Trading Howard – along with Ryder, pick 10 and a future fourth-round selection to St Kilda for picks 12, 18 and a future third-round choice – caused uproar from some Power fans, as well as past star Kane Cornes.
Port was pleased to add another first-round pick for what it believed was a balanced draft and it did choose rising star nominee Duursma with the 18th selection last November.
But Hinkley could miss 199cm swingman Howard’s versatility next season – even though the club told the 23-year-old it saw him as a forward for 2020.
Injuries and a mental health battle limited Broadbent, 29, to just 10 games this year, and Trent McKenzie might have taken his spot on the list after an excellent SANFL finals series
Broadbent’s exit seemingly opens the door for 20-year-old defender Joel Garner (four games, all in 2019) to get greater opportunities at AFL level.
Getting more games out of Charlie Dixon (nine in 2019), Brad Ebert (11), Hamish Hartlett (11) and Ollie Wines (12) next season will improve the Power.
So will the continued development of Darcy Byrne-Jones (24 years old), Dan Houston (22) and Ryan Burton (22), who all shape as being the next generation of Port stars.
It would also be worth noting that the last time the Power had an off-season without a big-name signing, in 2016, it did not stop them making the finals 12 months later.
But can this current list reach the eight next year while undergoing a revitalisation that is setting foundations for long-term success?
The club will be desperate for September action in its 150th year next season, fans will demand it and Hinkley will probably need it to save his job.