Power, Hawks legend Shaun Burgoyne has his say on possible Port coaching succession plan

A Port Adelaide and AFL great believes Josh Carr has done enough to be a successful AFL coach in the future, with an official succession plan with Ken Hinkley still in play before season 2025.

Port Adelaide premiership player Shaun Burgoyne says flag winning teammate Josh Carr has had the apprenticeship to become a senior coach whenever the Power choose to make public the handover from current coach Ken Hinkley.

The Adelaide Advertiser revealed last week that the Power was strongly considering unveiling Carr as its next coach before the start of the AFL season and the official announcement of it could come in the lead-up to its season launch and hall of fame night on Friday.

Hinkley and Carr are understood to have been aligned for 18 months on a succession, which could happen at the end of this year.

Carr could be announced as the official successor to Hinkley soon. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Burgoyne, who returned to Alberton to work in an off-field role during 2022 after calling time on his 407-game career, said he had no knowledge of any succession plan at the Power.

But he said Carr was well on the path to becoming a senior coach.

“From what I have seen Ken is really committed to the team and the team is really committed to Ken so we will see what happens in the future,” he told The Advertiser.

“Josh has done a really good coaching apprenticeship, he coached North Adelaide and won a premiership with them.

“He has coached his own team, he went back to Fremantle for a couple of years and came back.

“He is gaining valuable experience and he is on the path to becoming a senior coach.”

Burgoyne was at Hawthorn in 2021 when the Hawks announced that Sam Mitchell would succeed four-time premiership winning coach Alastair Clarkson.

After originally announcing Mitchell would take the reins in 2023, Clarkson ended up leaving the Hawks at the end of 2021 after contention over how the plan would look.

“I was at Hawthorn when they announced Sam Mitchell as Alastair’s successor which was interesting,” Burgoyne said.

Shaun Burgoyne says Carr has the tools to do the job. Picture: Tom Huntley

“At the time as a player it happened towards the end of the season and the change took place in the off-season so that was a different one and Sam is doing a really good job now.

“He has well and truly announced himself as one of the smartest coaches in the league and we have seen Hawthorn really rise up the ladder last year when there was no expectation so it will be interesting to see how they go about embracing them this year.”

In regards to his other former side, Burgoyne said it would be fascinating to watch how the Power replaced Dan Houston in its backline.

“Port have been around the mark in recent years,” he said.

“They have an exciting young midfield, they lose Dan Houston off the halfback line but they have a number of players who can fill that position.

“Time will tell if they can be as good as him.”

Burgoyne will be part of Fox Footy’s coverage of the AFL in 2025 as it ramps up its offering, starting with the Indigenous All Stars taking on Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday.

This year Fox Footy – available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – will be the only place to watch AFL games exclusively live on Saturday’s nationally for the first eight rounds of the home and away season.

In this period, which ends with the Round 9 Showdown, Adelaide and Port Adelaide matches on Saturday’s will be shown on free-to-air on a delay.