SEN Hungry for Sport regular Greg Denham says despite Ken Hinkley signing a lucrative contract extension to remain at Port Adelaide he “can’t stand the joint".
Denham, who wrote in The Australian this week that Hinkley wanted out of his deal at Port Adelaide to sign a multi-year deal at Gold Coast, says the coach was speaking with a forked tongue in trying to smooth over rifts within the club.
“He can’t stand the joint and can’t stand the chairman but he’s there for four more years,” Denham said.
In signing the new deal Hinkley suggested he and chairman David Koch had "robust" discussions but all were on the same page. It's been well documented Hinkley and Koch had rarely seen eye-to-eye.
Gold Coast reportedly offered Hinkley a five-year deal worth an estimated $1.2 million per season. Port Adelaide was then forced to counter with a deal closing in on $1 million a season.
Denham is adamant Hinkley had discussions personally with the Gold Coast and was looking to find a way out of his current deal that expires at the end of next season.
“It’s the biggest rort I’ve been associated with in a while,” he said.
“It’s very clever from ‘honest’ Ken though.
"It was a forked tongue."
Some have suggested Hinkley’s loyalty to the Power is based solely on his strong relationship with the playing group and not any solid allegiance to the club’s hierarchy.
“How can you walk away from a group that you built and you’ve been a part of?” Hinkley said this week.
“If you know me, leaving that behind is nearly impossible.”
It seems five years and $6 million nearly did it.