Ken Hinkley under pressure after Port Adelaide’s heavy defeat to Brisbane

Ken Hinkley is under tremendous pressure yet again following Port Adelaide’s 79-point loss to Brisbane. See what the Power coach had to say after his own fans booed him.

Ken Hinkley didn’t enjoy the boos that rained down from the grandstands after Saturday’s disastrous loss to the Brisbane Lions, but the embattled Port Adelaide coach understands why disgruntled fans voiced their frustrations that way.

Late in his team’s 79-point mauling at the hands of the Lions, Hinkley was lustily booed by fans when he appeared on Adelaide Oval’s big screens and again when he headed for the change rooms after the final siren.

The miserable loss was the Power’s third in a row, with the blowtorch squarely on Hinkley after his side slipped to an 8-6 record.

“It’s not fun, it’s not what I enjoy, it’s just the reality of my job,” Hinkley said of the frosty reception from fans.

Ken Hinkley post-game. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

“(But) if you can’t cope with it, you probably shouldn’t be in my job.

“I can cope with it, I don’t enjoy it, it’s not my favourite time.

“It’s just part of what goes with this job, it’s always been the same.

“The disappointment comes out in many different ways, but no one’s more disappointed than us inside the football club – no one.

“But I get the reaction … I’ve been around a long time.

“I’m going to turn up to work and work really hard with all of my staff and players to make sure that we can turn this around really quickly.

“Where we are right now, we’ve got an opportunity to go back to work straight away and change some of the narrative that we’ve earnt.”

There were some questionable efforts from Power players throughout the clash and little resistance or response in the third quarter as the rampaging Lions piled on 12 unanswered goals.

But Hinkley denied his charges had rolled over or surrendered.

“When a team gets on top of you it can easily look like (you) give up, but I wouldn’t ever question the group around what they try to achieve out there,” he said.

The Power coach is under the pump. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“(But) sometimes it can look like the opposition is just way too good for you.

“Sometimes they look like they’re off the pace when it comes to being able to play the game at the level asked of them and today was one of those days.

“We played really poorly, and we were totally outplayed in all facets of the game.

“There’s no hiding from that, that’s the reality, and it was disappointing to lose that way.

“It shows to us that we know where we sit, where we’re at, and we got another reminder of what the better teams can do.”

The insipid display soured celebrations of the Power’s 2004 premiership win for many, but Hinkley said it was wrong to put the two performances together.

“The most disappointing part is about this year for us,” the coach said.

“The reflection piece is a celebration of what’s gone on in our history and we should still be mighty proud of what the 2004 team was able to achieve 20 years ago.

“It’s still a celebration of that moment.

“Today is a real disappointing moment in our 2024 season, they don’t go hand-in-hand, I think they represent themselves individually.”

Jordon Sweet left the game in the final term after copping an errant knee to the head, but Hinkley confirmed the ruckman had been cleared of a concussion.

Originally published as Ken Hinkley under pressure after Port Adelaide’s heavy defeat to Brisbane