Give the outrage a rest. Hinkley’s post-match sparring was great

Ken Hinkley’s post-match sparring with Jack Ginnivan and James Sicily on Friday night was great. Less so the reaction from some ex-Hawks in the media.

In a sporting world increasingly filled by boring cliches and robotic players and coaches, Port coach Hinkley offered all-too-rare authenticity.

Port coach Ken Hinkley exchanges comments with Hawthorn players after the final siren.Credit: AFL Photos

A man who had been peppered with questions all week about his job after Port Adelaide copped an 84-point shellacking from Geelong in their qualifying final had just watched his side survive a thoroughly entertaining and competitive semi-final over Hawthorn’s upstart youngsters.

Hinkley was amped, and aware that one particularly cheeky Hawk, Ginnivan, posted on social media during the week that he would see his ex-Collingwood teammate Brodie Grundy’s Swans in a preliminary final.

Ginnivan left himself open to be sledged – which he regretted – and Hinkley was the one to deliver it, which Hawthorn skipper Sicily fumed over.

Power players found the whole thing amusing; the AFL hated it. Hinkley’s $20,000 fine was way over the top, given how harmless all this was.

This was quite different to the Jason McCartney-Tom Papley physical interaction a week earlier – which also resulted in a $20,000 fine.

Ginnivan is not everyone’s cup of tea either, but as long as he is willing to absorb the extra attention his personality and brashness will bring, all I see is a young player who gets people talking about the game.

There has still been plenty of commentary about how damn good that final was, but the extra storyline added some more spice.

Connor Rozee made clear post-match on Channel Seven that the Port players were in Hinkley’s corner: “I love him like a father. He cops a ridiculous amount of criticism he doesn’t deserve.”

Connor Rozee gave an impassioned defence of his coach.Credit: AFL Photos

Hinkley apologised at the start of his press conference, as we all knew he would, but give it a rest on the outrage.

Luke Hodge’s scolding of Hinkley being “a 60-year-old man” and how he should “act his age” was a bit much. Hodge made a far worse decision during a finals series in his playing days – before the match even started.

Another ex-Hawk, Jordan Lewis, was not impressed on Fox Footy either, but voice of reason Jason Dunstall did not join the queue of whingers.

Sicily’s on-the-edge temperament has always been great theatre, too. Nick Watson’s flex after kicking the opening goal of the second half, as well as the exquisitely skilled Willie Rioli pointing to the crowd in elation after reclaiming the lead for Port Adelaide in the third quarter, were also fantastic.

Let’s embrace the colour of the game, not do everything possible to stamp it out.

It’s the little things

Much is being made of Hinkley ruining Luke Breust’s 300th game celebrations (although Sicily did not need to continue the dialogue for so long either), but there was a great moment that has flown under the radar.

Breust’s former Hawthorn teammates James Frawley, Isaac Smith, Ben Stratton and Kyle Cheney were all seated together in the Adelaide Oval stands to support their mate in his milestone game.

Their animated reaction to super-sub Breust’s set-shot goal on the tick of three-quarter-time was a nice reminder of the softer side of footy that can often be forgotten, particularly in such high-stakes matches.

Tackles win matches

Any lingering doubt about Zak Butters’ toughness should have been put to bed by quarter-time, when he had already laid three tackles on his way to eight for the night.

Port Adelaide’s dual All-Australian exited the qualifying final mid-match after hurting his ribs, but returned to perform a key role in the narrow victory over Hawthorn.

Butters’ second and third tackles of the match were particularly good, nailing Dylan Moore to win a free kick then charging down and dispossessing an unaware Conor Nash, with commentator Brian Taylor likening him to a freight train.

The tackling from both sides was first class, which only added to the spectacle, including Power forward Darcy Byrne-Jones hauling in Jarman Impey with three minutes left in the game to deny a Hawks breakaway at a key moment.

However, dangerous tackles remain a talking point among fans, players, officials and commentators alike, with Port pair Lachie Jones (on Mabior Chol) and Jase Burgoyne (Moore) penalised.

Brisbane defender Jack Payne also conceded a free kick for a dangerous tackle on Giants star Sam Taylor in the first quarter of their semi-final.

Lapsing Giants blow great chance

It was deja vu for Adam Kingsley’s Giants on Saturday night in their latest finals fadeout.

Given they led the Brisbane Lions by 44 points entering time-on in the third quarter, GWS should be preparing for another preliminary final this weekend. Instead, they’re in off-season mode.

That heartbreaking five-point defeat came a week after blowing a 21-point three-quarter-time lead in a six-point derby loss to Sydney. None of this is new for the Giants, but it hasn’t always been at the end of matches.

Rewind to round 22, when Kingsley’s men trailed the Lions by five goals and were fortunate not to be further behind, given the scoring shots were 11 to one. The contest numbers made for horrific reading, but GWS managed to turn it around that afternoon to upset Brisbane.

There is no doubt the Giants wasted a major opportunity this September in a wide-open premiership race.

A dejected Brent Daniels after the Giants’ loss.Credit: AFL Photos

They have all the required pieces: a Coleman Medal-winning forward, an All-Australian key defender, a deep midfield, plenty of toughness and class, and a good mix of veterans and emerging youth, including No.1 pick Aaron Cadman, who looks a future star.

“The final quarter was, really, the same as the Swans game, to be fair,” Kingsley said.

“We didn’t cope with the contest as well as what we would’ve liked. They capitalised on their opportunities. We didn’t really challenge them the other way ... we’ve had those moments across the year, so it’s really no surprise. Unfortunately, we haven’t really been able to fix it to the level that we would be satisfied with.

“All in all, we’ve had too many moments where the opposition has capitalised and won games in short periods of time against us.”

There are challenges ahead, too, with Harry Perryman, Isaac Cumming and James Peatling all in rival clubs’ sights. Sometimes these chances don’t come again.

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