Port Adelaide explains Ken Hinkley, Josh Carr coaching success plan

Ken Hinkley has revealed he considered not coaching in 2025 after agreeing to a succession plan to make Josh Carr Port Adelaide’s next senior coach.

Ken Hinkley says he considered not coaching this year before agreeing to the handover that sees Josh Carr take over as Port Adelaide’s senior coach in 2026.

At the Power’s official announcement of the succession plan, which has been years in the making, Hinkley said he weighed up following John Longmire — who exited as Sydney’s senior coach without a farewell year.

EXCLUSIVE: HOW WE REVEALED HINKLEY-CARR HANDOVER WAS ON

“Yes is the answer, the outcome is this,” he said.

“I am still right to do it, I still have the energy to do it, I still have the passion to do it. I think there is still some help that I can give the club and Josh to be 100 per cent ready.

“What I do like is the clarity of this for us and the footy club is the time now allows us great preparation time.

“It doesn’t jeopardise our program, for those who think it will we have too good of a program with great people that it would have any damage done.

“All it will do is reinforce our commitment.”

Mooted since Carr withdrew from the then vacant Richmond job in 2023 and Hinkley signed his deal, the Power has said it views the 2004 premiership player as a future senior coach.

But it had, until Wednesday, held off from officially revealing a succession plan.

Power chairman David Koch said he understood why people would question the club not going through a public process, but Carr fitted the profile Port wanted from its next senior coach.

“The profile that we wanted for our next senior coach was a first-time senior coach,” he said.

“It worked pretty well for us last time, we think history throughout the industry shows that and from a board point of view and recommendation from the football committee we always try to develop internally.

“Identify talent and put them on a program and we think that is the best for this football club.”

David Koch and Josh Carr at the press conference to announce the succession plan.

Carr said it was special for him to become the Power’s next senior coach.

“I guess coming from where I have come from, being drafted here as an 18-year-old and being given opportunities as a coach as well it is an honour,” he said.

“The privilege that I feel about being in charge of a football club that has had such a significant impact on me personally but also my family over time, when I left after the flag quite easily I could have been seen as a bit of a villian.

“But I got an opportunity to come back at the end of my career as a player and as a coach, every time I walk back into this football club it feels real and it feels like me to be honest.”

Originally published as Port Adelaide explains Ken Hinkley, Josh Carr coaching success plan