Port Adelaide in danger of tearing apart from within as Koch says club is ‘baffled’ by form slump

PORT Adelaide president David Koch has made the startling revelation the Power is “baffled” by a form slump that is threatening to tear apart the AFL club from within.

Port Chairman David Koch making an important announcement today a Alberton

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PORT ADELAIDE president David Koch has made the startling revelation the Power is “baffled” by a form slump that is threatening to tear apart the AFL club from within.

As Power coach Ken Hinkley dismissed claims of disharmony among his player group, Koch revealed captain Travis Boak had told him Power players were “unsettled” by the president’s scathing public commentary of their efforts and on-field performances.

“I’ve told them to prove me wrong — prove me wrong,” Koch said in his halftime interview with Channel Seven and in the after-match function with club members at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, after Port Adelaide collapsed to a 48-point loss to Geelong.

Heckled by some fans, Koch — who last week labelled his team’s 86-point loss to Greater Western Sydney in Canberra as a “disgrace” — maintained he would hold everyone accountable at Alberton.

“Everyone in the organisation is accountable,” Koch said.

“And when there is a lack of effort, I’m not going to hide from it; I’m not going to shirk it; I’m not going to sugar-coat it … and I’m not going to lie. I’m going to be honest with the supporters.

“And I don’t care if we lose to a better side, as long as we play Port Adelaide football.”

Koch took to Twitter last week to respond to a Power fan demanding more attention on football rather than Port Adelaide’s off-field agenda, such as the lucrative adventure in China.

He said in his Tweet that “questions are being asked and answers demanded”.

But in his post-match presentation to the club members and fans in the Riverbank Stand at the Oval on Saturday night Koch alarmingly declared the Power was “baffled” by performances that contradict all expectation of a top-four finish from Port Adelaide.

Koch at the same time declared his board, executive and staff had never taken its focus off football, but highlighted off-field enterprise — such as playing an AFL game in China — was important to future-proof Port Adelaide.

And he took issue with the results his on-field team is delivering on the back of major investment in the Power’s football program.

“Three years ago we invested $6 million in the football budget to have a fully resourced football department,” Koch said. “We’re paying 100 per cent of the salary cap. And the supporters do not deserve what they (are getting on the field).”

At the same time as Koch fronted a supporter base in dismay, Hinkley was facing the toughest round of questioning in his four-season stand at Alberton. His mantra that Port Adelaide would “never, ever give up” has taken on new meaning.

“The toughest part of the journey we’re on is right now — and the slogan says, ’We’ll never give up,’,” Hinkley said.

“The never give up means we’ll never give up on the whole thing — not just about a game or one quarter or a half. It is about when it gets tough.

“That’s when you will see if you will give up. This footy club will not give up.

“We’ll stay together and we will work damn hard to make sure we improve, bit by bit.”

While Koch says he is “baffled” in finding answers, Hinkley says he knows exactly what is wrong: “You can’t lose at the contest as badly as we are losing. We know what (the problems) are.”

But Hinkley denies there is disharmony in a player group that today is subject to vicious external suggestions of a fracture in Boak’s leadership group.

“No, no … why would you ask that?” Hinkley responded.

“We stick together as a footy club. Comments are made regularly. David has made a comment; let’s be big enough to handle it.

“Let’s just keep together as a footy club. Let’s say it, we’re all disappointed — the chairman, the CEO, the coach, the players, clearly the supporters — and they have every right to be disappointed.

“But you have to be honest — we haven’t been good enough.”

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