A DROP OF HUMILITY IN FINE WINES

THERE was a time Ollie Wines thought leaving Port Adelaide would be best for his career, and he even had trust issues with coach Ken Hinkley.

But basking in the glow of his stunning Brownlow Medal win on Monday, the 26year-old said he was exactly where he needed to be.

Port’s first Brownlow winner said everything “clicked for me” when he put his ego away and embraced his role, saying he could never be a “silky smooth mid”.

It came after a turbulent 2019 when he was forced to play in the SANFL despite being Port Adelaide’s co-captain, lost the co-captaincy at the end of the season and considered an offer to join Carlton.

He said the club never wanted him to leave and after “a lot of conversations with mum” he dug in and has now etched his name in AFL folklore.

“I probably accepted my role a little bit and understood I wasn’t going to be the silky smooth mid that carved outside the contest,” Wines said. “All Ken (Hinkley) needed from me week in, week out was to put my head over the ball inside and dish it to the guys on the outside. So once I simplified my game a little bit more, everything just clicked from there.”

Wines, who has re-signed with Port until the end of 2026, said faith and trust in Hinkley helped him focus his attention on the best thing for the team, which in turn helped him be the best player he could be.

“I’m incredibly proud to still be at the club and glad I didn’t go anywhere.”