AFL 2022: All the Port Adelaide news ahead of Round 21 clash with Essendon

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has hit out at Collingwood’s offer that the Power wear an alternate prison-bar jumper, stating that heritage can’t be made up.

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has guaranteed Ken Hinkley will be coaching the club next season in an emphatic backing of the 10th-year mentor.

Koch had been criticised for adding unnecessary pressure on Hinkley earlier this week after telling FIVEaa the Power’s whole football program needed to turn things around “or watch out” and that something had to change due to missing the finals.

Hinkley’s future has been the subject of speculation despite him being contracted for 2023 and adamant he expects to see out his deal.

Koch told Channel 7 the club believed the 55-year-old was the right person for the job.

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Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has taken a swipe at Collingwood’s prison bar offer. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“Obviously, for all of us, this season has been a major disappointment … (and) as we always do, we’ll thoroughly assess our football program at season’s end,” Koch said in his weekly news segment.

“But, as the club has maintained all year, Ken Hinkley is contracted and will be our coach in 2023

“Prior to this season, Ken led us to two consecutive preliminary finals.

“Some will argue we should make a change based on our performance this season alone and that Ken has never taken the team to a grand final.

“But we base decisions on all the information in front of us.

“We believe Ken gives us the best chance of successfully rebounding next season, of successfully attracting new talent and football department resources to make us better.”

Hinkley has a 129-92 win-loss record since joining the Power ahead of the 2013 season.

He has reached three preliminary finals, including in the previous two campaigns, but Port Adelaide is set for its lowest finish under him this year.

The Power is 12th on the ladder with an 8-12 record ahead of its last two matches.

Hinkley told AFL 360 on Monday that he was more than confident that he would be in the role next year after being given enough assurances by the club.

He also believed he still had the full support of the players.

Ken Hinkley will definitely be coaching the Power in 2023. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

Koch also took a swipe at Collingwood’s offer for the Power to wear an alternative prison-bar guernsey – one with teal panels, instead of white.

Earlier this week, News Corp revealed that Collingwood would be prepared to allow Port Adelaide to don a version of its SANFL strip in Showdowns from 2023, so long as it had the colour change.

Koch did not mention the Victorian powerhouse or the suggested design when he said “thanks but no thanks”.

“You can’t make up heritage,” he said.

Port Adelaide has been hoping to wear the prison-bar guernsey in Showdowns since last playing in it at AFL level against Adelaide in June 2020 with Collingwood’s permission.

The league has said it will not approve the black-and-white strip without Collingwood consenting due to various agreements between the clubs.

Port assistant says Koch’s stark warning ‘makes sense’

- Jason Phelan

Port Adelaide assistant coach Nathan Bassett concedes that the Power’s coaching panel must improve after chairman David Koch issued a stark warning of the consequences of a poor finish to the season.

Koch ratcheted up the pressure on radio station FIVEaa on Monday when he said that Port’s entire football program needed to “turn it around or watch out” in the last two weeks of the season, with the chairman promising to make hard decisions.

Koch’s comments came after the Power’s disappointing home loss to Richmond made it four defeats on the trot for Ken Hinkley’s side.

Nathan Bassett fronts the media on Monday. Picture: Mark Brake

“It’s not just about one individual person. It’s the whole program. Turn it around or watch out,” Koch told FIVEaa on Monday.

“Every single person‘s role will be assessed at the end of the year, as we do each year.”

Asked for his own assessment of how the coaching panel has performed this season, Bassett said there was a simple performance indicator available for all to see.

“The ladder assesses our performance and the ladder says that we’re not nearly as good as what we were,” Bassett said on Monday.

“So, we’ve got to get better too.”

Bassett told reporters he hadn’t heard Koch’s remarks, but added it was perfectly understandable for the chairman to voice his disappointment after Port slumped to an 8-12 record, having entered the season with premiership aspirations after playing off in back-to-back preliminary finals.

“That’s pretty standard conversation,” Bassett said.

“We’re in a high-performance industry and if you don’t perform … when you lose more than you win that’s generally not a good sign.

“We’ve got to win more – that makes sense.”

Bassett wouldn’t be drawn on what Koch’s comments could mean for Hinkley, whose team will finish with a negative win-loss record for just the second time in his 10-year tenure.

Aiding Port’s immediate cause Bassett reported Connor Rozee (knee) and Darcy Byrne-Jones (head knock) have been cleared to play against Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Charlie Dixon and Connor Rozee at Port Adelaide training. Picture Mark Brake

Hinkley and Bassett are both contracted for next season and the assistant coach maintained his own future hasn’t been his focus.

“I’ve been coaching for a while, I don’t have too many short-term concerns around my own job, my focus is always ‘how can I help this place be the best place that it can be?’,” he said.

“I turn up to work each day trying to help our people get better.

“If people want to criticise you and I’m not saying Kochie is, he’s just looking at the ladder and saying ‘that’s not very good’ ... I get that.

“But I turn up to work each day trying to make the guys better and be the best players and people they can be for Port Adelaide.”

As forward line coach, Bassett has overseen an area that has proved troubling for the Power this season, with the midfield’s connection with the forwards and their effectiveness once the ball is in attack a recurring problem.

“It’s been a challenge with personnel and consistency,” Bassett conceded.

“Steven (Motlop) has retired, Robbie (Gray) has been a bit compromised by injury, Orazio (Fantasia) hasn’t played, Zak Butters and Connor Rozee have moved into the midfield and Charlie (Dixon) has been rucking and missed the first half of the year.

“Certainly what we looked like in the finals over the last two years compared to what we put out on the park this year has been very different.”

Koch’s shot across the bows on Hinkley, Port

- Jon Ralph

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has refused to guarantee Ken Hinkley’s job for 2023, saying he is not afraid to make “hard decisions” for the betterment of the Power.

Hinkley is contracted for 2023 and has been backed in by chief executive Matthew Richardson, who told News Corp last month the coach would continue in his tenure next year.

But Koch put a shot across the bows of the entire football department on Monday after a disappointing loss to Richmond at Adelaide Oval.

Describing the current season as the most disappointing year in Hinkley’s tenure, he said the entire club was up for review after a 0-5 start and then four consecutive losses to Melbourne, Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond.

The Power got within 14 points of all of the Demons, Cats and Pies but Koch told FIVEaa everything was up for review.

All parts of Port Adelaide’s operations could undergo change, says David Koch. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Certainly it doesn’t affect or change my opinion of any one person,” he said.

“It changes my opinion of the program and how much we need to improve the program.

“This year will be the worst finish we have had in the last 10 years and something has got to change but it’s a whole-of-program decision. We will assess every single line item of the football department at the end of the year when it’s appropriate.”

Asked specifically about whether the message was that Hinkley needed late-season wins to shore up his position, Koch replied: “I think the whole program (does). It’s not just about one individual person. It’s the whole program. Turn it around or watch out.

“Because every single person’s role will be assessed at the end of the year, as we do each year. But this year is more important than ever and we are not afraid to make change. We have made plenty of changes.

“We have got to win games and we know that is what we exist to do.

“We will be making those hard decisions at the end of the year across the entire program to make us better next year.”

Hinkley is keen to remain in the city of Adelaide and would be unlikely to move states so is not expected to be a taker for the vacant GWS position if he is moved on.

Internally the Power believe a rash of injuries to star players and consistent nagging injuries have played a key role in the disappointing season.

Hinkley cited the frustrating injuries to Trent McKenzie, Tom Jones and Tom Clurey after the loss to Richmond, saying even when they had played they had been chasing their tails to recover each week.

Aliir Aliir and Charlie Dixon also missed parts of the key early stretch when the Power dropped to 0-5.

But with Karl Amun to leave as a free agent key decisions will be made on playing personnel and the club’s hunt for elite midfielders and a quality ruckman.

The Power is interested in Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy but doubts he would want to move back to South Australia, while they have come hard at Dogs mid-forward Josh Dunkley.

Originally published as AFL 2022: All the Port Adelaide news ahead of Round 21 clash with Essendon