Port Adelaide’s interest in “secret” AFL trials at Hawthorn is more about the Hawks’ power at AFL House

PORT Adelaide will not get its wish to see the secret AFL trials of new rules with Hawthorn. But the Power will keep questioning how the Hawks influence AFL House

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PORT Adelaide has its answer. It is not about the “secret trials” the AFL has made of potential rule changes next year, but of the power of Hawthorn.

Prepare for a new hashtag to add to #freekickhawthorn. Advantage Hawks.

The AFL has dismissed Port Adelaide’s call for tapes of Hawthorn - and later Brisbane, but more so Hawthorn - testing the AFL’s proposed rules changes for next season.

The league has told Port Adelaide: “The vision (of Hawthorn’s trial behind locked gates at Etihad Stadium) is not something we would give to a competing club of how another club trains.”

Was it Hawthorn training with tactics it will use this season - or was it the AFL trialling rules that will influence all 18 national league clubs?

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says he wants to see the tapes so his football staff can live to the equality - and transparency - the AFL champions.

“If you’re going to do trials, all 18 clubs deserve to get a look at it,” Hinkley said in joining his club president David Koch in calling for a full distribution of the vision from the AFL trials with Hawthorn and Brisbane.

“It’s going to have an impact on lots of things if (the AFL) change rules as drastically as they’re talking about doing.”

“We don’t want clubs having a six-month advantage over what they’re seeing trialled when other clubs haven’t seen any of that.”

Clearly Port Adelaide can arrange its own trial - and volunteer to be another crash test dummy for AFL football boss Steve Hocking and his two football think tanks.

The Power should have good insight on what is coming from the presence of Port Adelaide football chief Chris Davies on Hocking’s competition committee. Brisbane is said to have worked its trial across two 10-minute periods - hardly an imposing challenge to replicate at Alberton, particularly when Hinkley might need to change up training for his players.

So there is much more to the strategic Koch-Hinkley public challenge to the AFL - and this revolves around the power Hawthorn has at AFL House.

When Hocking’s second think tank on the game’s future - the elder statesman group with Hall of Fame Legends Malcolm Blight and Leigh Matthews - met last month, which club offered the statistical analysis on the state of the game? Hawthorn.

Koch was pointed in his pre-game remarks on Friday night at Adelaide Oval: “Why do selected clubs get to try it out? ... (Hawthorn premiership coach) Alastair Clarkson, after all his coffees with the AFL big wigs ...”

This in refence to the breakfast session Clarkson had with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan - a moment that has left the impression Clarkson has moved from a “statesman” to a “powerbroker”.

There also is the agitated state of the non-Victorian club presidents - and some in Victoria, such as St Kilda - at how the return of Jeff Kennett to the Hawthorn presidency has, to quote Koch, put the “V (for Victoria) back in the AFL”.

Port Adelaide will not get the Hawthorn tapes. But it has made its point about the new hashtag #advantagehawks.

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