AFL 2023: The latest on Ken Hinkley’s future in the wake of the Gold Coast coaching bombshell

Ken Hinkley’s history with the Suns has already seen the Port Adelaide coach’s name linked with the vacant Gold Coast job – but will it be any more than that? Here’s the latest.

The vacancy at Gold Coast won’t change the August timeline Port Adelaide will follow to discuss senior coach Ken Hinkley’s future at Alberton.

Despite chief executive Mark Evans last week fronting a media conference and being emphatic in his support of Stuart Dew, the Suns announced that the former Power and Hawthorn premiership player had been sacked.

Damien Hardwick looms as the most likely successor to Dew having recently indicated his desire to return to coaching despite saying he was burnt out at Richmond.

Hardwick is understood to be open to having a conversation with the Suns about the vacant job.

But Hinkley’s history with the Suns as an assistant has already had his name linked with Gold Coast.

Hinkley is out of contract at the end of the year and he and the Power said at the start of the season that they would hold off starting talks around his future until August.

The Power have won a club-record 13 games in a row, and have emerged as the second-best team in the competition behind Collingwood.

But the second senior coaching job opening, along with Richmond, won’t affect the August timeline at Alberton.

When contacted by this masthead, the club said the timeline regarding the next steps concerning Hinkley’s future had not changed.

The Ken Hinkley timeline won’t change at Alberton. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

On Tuesday small forward Jed McEntee, who has penned a new two-year contract, said he was confident in what the club was doing.

“It is not really up to me,” he said.

“I love Kenny, he has done so much for me but I think the club has that in good hands at the moment so I will leave it up to them.”

Two-time premiership coach Malcolm Blight said the Power didn’t need a coaching announcement to distract from their stellar season to date.

“I don’t think he will leave, while would you?” he said on SEN.

“I think they will wait until August if they announce it.

“ (But) why would they need to … they could let it run through just see what happens at the end of the year, sit down as adults because of his time at the club and with (David Koch) Kochie and the board and say “it has been terrific Ken and what do you want to do next?”.

“And if he says “I want to keep going” they will say “yes let’s keep going”.

“And they don’t need to do it, they don’t need a headline now. They are going beautifully and they don’t need to upset the club.

“He is still coaching, he is still enthusiastic, the players are still enthusiastic.”

Stuart Dew and Hinkley in 2018. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

Hinkley was an assistant coach at the Suns for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

He was strongly linked to a return to the Suns in 2017, but instead signed a new four-year contract with Port.

It comes as Power AFL premiership captain Warren Tredrea tipped his former teammate and current midfield coach at Alberton Josh Carr as a contender for the vacant position at Richmond.

Tredrea made the claim regarding Carr on FIVEaa and said he was “the one bloke that Port did not want to lose”.

When Hardwick stepped away from Richmond, Carr said he wanted to be a senior coach one day but he was “not in a rush”.

However Carr, who has also been an assistant at Fremantle, did say he was “preparing to be ready”.

The Power will be looking for their 14th win in a row against Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

Originally published as AFL 2023: The latest on Ken Hinkley’s future in the wake of the Gold Coast coaching bombshell