Jovial, nostalgic spirit takes over Ken Hinkley’s final Showdown press conference

Sure, Matthew Nicks and Ken Hinkley are both desperate to win this Saturday’s Showdown, but six years of war was traded in for a press conference of mutual admiration on Wednesday.

It felt more like old friends getting together as Ken Hinkley and Matthew Nicks sat together alongside the Showdown trophy.

Sure, the rivals are both desperate to win this Saturday night.

But Hinkley’s last South Australian derby ensured a jovial and nostalgic spirit to their joint press conference at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

The coaches reminisced on his 24 Showdowns over 13 seasons.

Hinkley lavished praise on Power colleague of six years Nicks for his efforts in turning the Crows into a flag contender.

And the outgoing Port coach cracked gags.

Ken Hinkley’s final Showdown means plenty for both sides. Picture: Brett Hartwig

When Nicks recalled being the Power’s runner the day Angus Monfries’ left-foot goal bounced at a right angle at Football Park in the closing moments of a come-from-behind win, Hinkley said: “We must have been out of runners”.

When a reporter asked about the Power’s injuries, Hinkley smirked, pointed to Nicks and responded “their list is looking all right”, prompting the coach of the third-placed Crows to knock on the wooden desk.

When that same journalist questioned how many Port players would need end-of-season surgeries, Hinkley cheekily interjected by saying: “Are you a doctor?”

The mood was very different to the last time the Power was set to miss the finals.

Before the August 2022 Showdown, Port decided to have separate media conferences.

It was annoyed leading up to their game earlier in the year when Adelaide did a solo presser and made the Power wait.

Going into the second Showdown of that season, Tom Jonas and Ollie Wines took aim at the Crows’ DNA and Showdown hero turned Port assistant Chad Cornes talked about how the club hated their rivals.

Nicks responded by trolling his former club, calling it “Port Power” and bagged it for taking attention away from retiring champion Robbie Gray’s farewell game.

Whether the agitation was real or manufactured to sell tickets, it added spice to a dead-rubber in the last round for teams about to finish 11th and 14th.

The Crows won a thriller earlier this season. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Hinkley stressed on Wednesday – not for the first time this season – that he enjoyed the theatre of football, so long as it did not cross personal lines.

When reuniting after solo pressers was referenced, Hinkley grinned and said: “We’re OK. We’re back together one last time.”

The relaxed, banter-filled atmosphere has become almost the norm during the long-serving mentor’s farewell campaign.

From the outside, it feels like the 58-year-old has been soaking everything up this season.

Going public on the coaching succession plan seems to have helped relieve some press conference tension.

Instead of trading barbs on Wednesday, there was mutual admiration.

“It’s an unusual feeling sitting here knowing your opposition coach won’t be here next year,” Nicks said.

“I learnt so much from him in the period of time I worked underneath him and it’ll be sad to see him go.”

Quick as a flash, a laughing Hinkley retorted: “No it won’t”.

Then Nicks added “the next bloke coming in (Carr) is more ruthless anyway”.

“Yeah, he’s more aggressive,” Hinkley said of the former hard nut Power midfielder.

Then he returned the favour to end the presser.

“I’m just so lucky that I had a chance to work with Nicksy,” Hinkley said.

“He was one of the very first ones I spoke to when I first got the job (at the end of 2012).

“I was begging him to stay in some ways and I didn’t even really know him.

“To his great credit, he’s done nothing but support me in his time with us.

“He went on and created his own career with some courage.”

The nice words prompted a thank you from Nicks as they got up smiling, then posed with the Showdown trophy, which Hinkley would love to get his hands on one last time.