Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has tried to take the warmth off himself after his aspect’s 36-point loss to Sydney in Friday evening’s preliminary remaining on the SCG.
Hinkley now has coached a document 12 seasons with out a grand remaining look, standing alone with a document he and the Energy would fairly not have.
It is not one he needs to carry, however he has urged externals to see the larger image.
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It is not simply his fault that the aspect has failed to achieve a grand remaining.
However there’s rising strain on Hinkley, who has now coached his aspect to 4 losses from their final 4 preliminary remaining outings.
“I am not foolish sufficient to not acknowledge that I’ve been the fixed on the footy membership (and never making a grand remaining),” Hinkley stated in his post-match press convention on Friday evening.
“Nevertheless it’s not one individual (at fault). We must always cease that story.
“It is a entire membership factor that goes on. It is not one individual accountable.
“If we had have gotten by way of (to a grand remaining), it would not have been me (who did it). And if we did not get by way of … it will be us.
“I believe that is the language we like to make use of. It is about us, not me essentially.”
Nevertheless, the coach, who has one yr left to run on his contract on the Energy, is aware of he’ll nonetheless be the one shouldering probably the most blame.
However he’ll proceed to entrance up for his membership and information them by way of one other flag tilt in 2024.
“However I do perceive that as the top coach, you cop the brunt of that (dropping),” Hinkley stated.
“I am OK with copping the brunt. However the actuality is, you may’t do that with out a full membership, you simply cannot. Nobody individual goes to try this on his personal.
“I perceive the story will likely be, ‘We did not get there’, however we had a good crack at it.”
And Hinkley, who has absorbed probably the most strain from the failings to achieve a grand remaining since 2007, admits he is been leaning on these closest to prop him up.
“I’ve had nice assist from my household but in addition from my footy membership,” he stated.
“We perceive the storylines that go along with my place. It is a part of the job. I am OK with that, I can cope with that.
“I do not essentially take pleasure in it, however the actuality is, it is a part of what I do. And if I can not cop, I should not be right here.”
Hinkley sees the loss fairly clearly.
“They have been planning a greater model of footy tonight. Whether or not we have been recent or not recent, regardless of the excuse. Sydney have been simply higher,” Hinkley stated.
“They have been extra polished than us. That wasn’t round freshness, that was simply round the best way they performed.”
The final time Port Adelaide made a grand remaining was in 2007 once they misplaced to Geelong by a V/AFL document 119 factors.