AFL 2023: Port Adelaide chairman David Koch says Ken Hinkley is the best coach available to take Power forward

David Koch says Ken Hinkley is the best coach to take the Power forward, despite voicing his concerns surrounding Port’s form when the big games come around.

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch says Ken Hinkley is the best “available” coach to take the Power forward despite the pain of its straight-sets finals exit.

Koch conceded the season wasn’t a success, but maintained the club did not make a mistake in re-signing Hinkley for a further two seasons on the eve of finals.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and list manager Jason Cripps at Alberton this week. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“The process that we undertook – the board football committee – over the last year … we always said that we would look at Ken’s contract at the end of August so we could assess the year, and that was a month by month basis,” he said on FiveAA on Thursday morning.

“That football committee recommended to the board that Ken was the best coach and we still firmly believe – absolutely believe – he is the best coach to take this club forward.

“It certainly wasn’t a success because even Ken was saying that our pass mark was to make a preliminary final. We have got to do better and we think Ken is the person to take us forward,” he said

“I’m as disappointed as anybody. Don’t think that we think it is acceptable to go out in straight sets or not make finals or not win two finals. But it’s our view that of the coaches that are available, Ken is the best person to take the club forward.”

Koch said Hinkley had “developed a gun midfield that didn’t work hard enough in the finals” and that losing finals was “whole of club issue”.

David Koch has backed the process that appointed Ken Hinkley. Picture: Morgan Sette

He conceded that the team’s performance in big games had to lift after winning just two finals in nine years.

“I look at data. The last four years, we have had the second-best win-loss ratio of any club in the competition, behind Brisbane,” Koch said.

“This year we broke the AFL winning streak with 13 in a row. We finished third in the competition. In four big games, big finals like games, we failed. And unfortunately three of them were at home.

“So yes, we’ve got to improve in those big games. The Showdowns and also finals. But you’ve got to give credit to actually get to the finals. It’s no mean feat to get to the finals in three of the last four years while evolving a list.

“You think we should sack a coach who has the second best win-loss record over the last three years, that’s been to finals in three of the last four years? A club that hasn’t been to finals in six years is fine, but (we’re not)?”

Originally published as AFL 2023: Port Adelaide chairman David Koch says Ken Hinkley is the best coach available to take Power forward