Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines to miss Ken Hinkley, Travis Boak farewell match with ban upheld
Port Adelaide won’t challenge the three-game ban handed to Ollie Wines for a bump on Cooper Lord, with the Brownlow medallist devastated to miss Ken Hinkley and Travis Boak’s farewell.
Port Adelaide has decided not to appeal the three-match suspension which will force Ollie Wines to watch Travis Boak and Ken Hinkley’s farewell game from the sidelines.
The Brownlow medallist said it was “extremely disappointing” to miss the send-off match for his career-long teammate and senior coach after the tribunal upheld his ban on Tuesday night.
“I think we put some really good reasons to why we thought we could get it reduced, and unfortunately that’s not the case,” Wines told Seven after the hearing.
“It was a longshot that I would’ve got down to zero to be able to play this week, but the fact I’ll miss this game … these guys have been by my side and sort of shaped me into the person that I am today.
“To not be out there on the field with them on Friday night is going to be really tough for me, but I’ll get around them, I’m sure.”
Port Adelaide’s bid to have Wines’ rough conduct charge downgraded and receive a discount to his suspension due to “exceptional and compelling circumstances” was fruitless, with the tribunal taking only 26 minutes to reach its decision.
Port’s lawyer Ben Krupka argued the impact of Wines’ bump on Carlton’s Cooper Lord should be downgraded from severe to high, which would have reduced his suspension to two games.
Following the second-quarter incident, Lord returned to the field for the start of the third quarter but was subbed out midway through the term with delayed concussion symptoms.
The Power sought a further discount of “at least one further week” due to Wines’ clean tribunal record, with the 2021 Brownlow medallist having only ever received four fines in his 273-game career.
A complete escape from a suspension appeared improbable after the tribunal was shown a freeze-frame of Wines’ shoulder appearing to make contact with Lord’s head as he bumped the Carlton midfielder.
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson and members David Neitz and Scott Stevens determined the impact could not be downgraded, and dismissed the attempt to use the exceptional circumstances clause.
Ollie Wines is fronting the AFL Tribunal. Follow via @FOXFOOTY & this thread. pic.twitter.com/lNg9HCAIna
— David Zita (@DavidZita1) August 19, 2025
The AFL tightened the wording around the clause at the start of the 2025 season to prevent clubs from using a player’s character or community standing to reduce the length of their suspension.
Brisbane successfully had small forward Charlie Cameron escape a dangerous tackle ban last season after citing character references including from AFL great Eddie Betts.
Wines will also miss the first two games of the 2026 season after Friday night’s clash against Gold Coast.
“We agree Wines’ record is very good … however, taking into account the nature of the careless rough conduct … and the injury suffered by Lord, we do not regard this as a matter where there are exceptional and compelling circumstances which would make it inappropriate or unreasonably to apply a three-match suspension,” Mr Gleeson said.
Earlier, Gold Coast midfielder Alex Davies was freed to face the Power after his one-match ban was overturned by the same tribunal members.
With a top-four spot on the line, the Suns will be able to select Davies for the Friday night clash after his rough conduct charge was downgraded.
Davies was handed a one-match ban by match review officer Michael Christian after he collided with GWS wingman Ryan Angwin during the final quarter of the Suns’ 35-point loss on Saturday.
The charge was graded as careless, medium impact and high contact, but the Suns successfully had the impact reduced to low in a tribunal hearing which ran for almost two hours on Tuesday night.
Mr Gleeson said Davies had taken “clear measures” to minimise the impact to Angwin before they clashed in the middle of People First Stadium.
“(Davies) slowed his momentum, he took a deliberately short step just before impact, and he dropped his knees so as to appreciably lower his body position,” Mr Gleeson said.
“Angwin suffered no injury, and we find that these actions significantly reduced the force of the impact and significantly reduced the potential for injury.”
The decision was a significant win for Gold Coast, which has lost all 11 games it has played at Adelaide Oval and needed Davies for its midfield-forward mix against Port due to the absences of Bailey Humphrey (knee) and Will Graham (hamstring).
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Originally published as Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines to miss Ken Hinkley, Travis Boak farewell match with ban upheld
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