Port Adelaide great Warren Tredrea sparks Hinkley firestorm

Struggling Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley’s future is the talk of the AFL world, with a club great only fanning the flames.

The drama engulfing Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and the AFL club has taken an ugly turn.

Hinkley, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the Power, was booed by supporters during and after Saturday’s horror 79-point belting against the Brisbane Lions.

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It has rocketed the South Australian club firmly into the media and AFL spotlight, with speculation quickly turning to whether Hinkley could or should see out his contract, which runs through the end of the 2025 season.

Hinkley already faced enormous upheaval 12 months ago as the club took an eternity to decide whether to extend his deal at that time, which was expiring at the end of 2023.

In the end, the 57-year-old was granted a two-year extension, before Port suffered a familiar flame-out in the finals series, dropping consecutive games to the Lions and GWS.

Hinkley has yet to guide Port into a grand final in his time in charge and Melbourne great Garry Lyon opened Monday night’s On the Couch program by declaring the Power are simply unable to move on Hinkley now following last season’s belated show of support.

The pressure on Ken Hinkley has gone up another notch or two. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

“You can’t sack Ken, can you Kochie (Port president David Koch)? There’s my question,” Lyon began.

“I want to go back to last year when they went on a 13-win run from round four to round 17.

“They had this great head of steam and great momentum and everyone was saying ‘let’s get Ken signed’ and they were steadfast that August was the time to recommit.

“They eventually recommitted to him in August, he won the next two games against Richmond and the Dockers who finished 15th and 16th, and then went out (of the finals) in straight sets.

“You make your bed, you’ve got to lie in it.

“All of the noises coming out of David Koch’s mouth was no one is sacking Ken Hinkley from the Port Adelaide footy club.

“The only way Ken leaves is if Ken leaves. They can’t walk that back.”

After starting the year with wins in four of its first five games, Port has gone backwards and currently sits eighth on the ladder with an 8-6 record, just 0.7 percentage points ahead of the Demons.

With Hinkley under increasing pressure to retain his job, and with current assistant Josh Carr waiting in the wings, Jason Dunstall was keen to focus on the playing list when talking on the Fox Footy show.

“The mistake Port Adelaide has made is over-estimating the list,” he said. “I think it’s an average list.

“I’m not being disrespectful to the players. But if I say to you who’s the class, they’ve got three gun young midfielders in (Zak) Butters, (Connor) Rozee and (Jason) Horne-Francis.

“I reckon (Dan) Houston is a really talented player. No other class jumps out at you.

“I think they’ve grossly over-estimated what the list is capable of.”

Jason Horne-Francis (left) and Zak Butters. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Garry Lyon (centre) voiced his thoughts On the Couch. Photo: Alex Coppel

While that discussion was playing out on Foxtel, Channel 9’s Footy Classified was reporting on a far more divisive war that has broken out among the Port Adelaide ranks.

Warren Tredrea, a former Port Adelaide skipper and the club’s record goalscorer, was on Adelaide radio station 5AA on Monday.

Tredrea is also a current board member of the AFL club.

The station had a Port fan call in who did not hold back, slamming Hinkley as a “con artist” and declaring his position is “even more untenable now, we can’t waste this current crop of talented youngsters”.

He went on to say the “club will suffer financially if something isn’t done” and “Ken is delusional right now, give Carr an audition, see if he can turn this around”.

Warren Tredrea and Ken Hinkley. Photos: News Corp/Getty Images

Tredrea is shown on video offering only a two-word response to those highly inflammatory comments, simply: “Good call.”

It’s an extraordinary response considering Tredrea’s standing and position at the club and journalist Caroline Wilson spoke about the mess on Footy Classified.

“My view is that Port Adelaide sits tonight as a club divided. Warren Tredrea has only made matters much worse with his comments on 5AA,” she said.

“(It) beggars belief that he didn’t defend the coach from a rant from a supporter on air.

“I think that’s caused serious issues. The comments provoked a phone call to 5AA from the club CEO Matthew Richardson. Tredrea then attempted to explain his comments.

“Ken Hinkley supporters are seething and just wondering why Warren Tredrea has chosen this week of all weeks to make these comments and to show the club is not united.”

If he survives the week, Hinkley’s next fixture is against 14th-ranked St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

“We’ll watch with great interest,” Lyon said.

“They’ve got a big game against St Kilda this weekend and they wouldn’t want to lose that.”

Originally published as Port Adelaide great Warren Tredrea sparks Hinkley firestorm