AFL 2025: Port Adelaide coach on why legal action is necessary for racist trolls

A frustrated Ken Hinkley says the lack of change in online racism towards players has prompted the Power to consider taking the latest attack further.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says the lack of accountability held against racist trolls has forced the club into considering legal action.

Power wingman Jase Burgoyne and St Kilda’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera were the latest Indigenous AFL players to be racially targeted online at the weekend.

It was reported on Tuesday that both Burgoyne and Wanganeen-Milera were pondering an approach to police.

Hinkley said he had seen no change in the punishments to social media abusers in his time as coach and it was why the Power “are making this a bit more”.

“I don’t think anything has changed and that’s what is really frustrating,” he said.

“There’s got to be some other way to change this; legally, you’ve got to have some responsibility.

“Driving a car you’ve got a responsibility; you’ve got to have responsibility, if you have no responsibility, what’s going to stop you?

“What’s going to stop you from being that person? Someone has to stop them and we’re not giving up on stopping that.

“Every day goes by we forget and we shouldn’t forget – I think that’s not right.”

Jase Burgoyne was racially abused after Sunday's win over West Coast. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Hinkley said the Power wanted to celebrate their Indigenous players and would do so in support of Burgoyne.

With less than two months left in his time at Port Adelaide, Hinkley said he had grown tired of the same conversation around “unfair” racism.

“We do everything you would expect us to, we put our arms around him, we support in every human possible way we can,” he said.

“I’ve sat in this seat a few times and had to talk around what’s happened; again, the club has taken a really strong position on this.

“Jase himself clearly dealing with that stuff is unfair for a start, but he’s doing as well as he can do.

“We’ll support him with everything we’ve got to do that, but at some point we need to stop it.”