Hinkley staying put
KEN Hinkley says he will soon extend his tenure as coach of Port Adelaide, ending speculation linking him to the Gold Coast Suns.
Hinkley says he will honour his contract at Port which expires at the end of next season and hopes an extension beyond that will be settled soon. “I’m really hopeful that something will happen quickly,” Hinkley told Adelaide radio station 5AA yesterday.
Hinkley confirmed the Suns, where he was an assistant coach for three years from 2012, had ap- proached his manager about their vacant head coaching role. But Hinkley said he and his family were “really committed to Port Adelaide”.
“You can’t get over that. When you’re in love, you’re in love. And Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley and his family, we’re meant to be,” he said.
Hinkley denied he had been tabled a contract offer by the Suns, who are seeking to replace the sacked Rodney Eade.
“There’s no doubt that the Gold Coast have made some inquiries about my availability through my manager,” he said.
“There’s some reasons for me to think about those types of things, but there has been never any doubt in my mind that this group of (Port) players, that we are in it together, that we are invested together.
“And we feel like we’re starting to get somewhere again.”
Hinkley, who has taken Port to the finals in three of his five years at the club, also denied he had fallen out with outspoken Port president David Koch. Koch appeared to question the commitment of some of Hinkley’s players after their extra-time elimination final loss to West Coast nine days ago.
“Look, there’s no doubt some of David’s comments last week perhaps come (sic) out not exactly the way David would have liked,” Hinkley said. “David and I have had that conversation.
“There’s no doubt at all that David wants the best for the Port Adelaide Football Club.
“And what has David done for Ken Hinkley as a coach? He has given me everything I could possibly ask for to be a success as a coach.
“If he made a little slip here and there occasionally, I will live with that because he’s pretty supportive on most other things.”