Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has responded to reports North Melbourne will consider making a play for him, should they miss out on Alastair Clarkson.
Clarkson is set to decide between Essendon and the Roos in the near future, with the Roos needing to pivot fast if they don’t get the result.
SEN Chief Reporter Sam Edmund reported on Wednesday that Hinkley would be among the Kangaroos’ next targets, but the veteran coach says he is committed to seeing out his contract at the Power.
“I can only answer it the same way I’ve answered always. I’m committed to Port Adelaide and expect to see out my contract at Port Adelaide as Port Adelaide are to me,” Hinkley told SEN SA Breakfast.
“Sometimes you try to shortcut that question and people get critical of you trying to shortcut that question, but you’ve answered it so many times, for me, it’s been pretty clear from the club and myself – what more can we say?”
Clarkson touched down in Adelaide during the week for personal reasons, which naturally would have raised speculation about whether he may meet with Port, but the four-time premiership coach was kind enough to text Hinkley to give him a heads up and clear the air before arriving in South Australia.
“I did (get a text) actually – it was good of Clarko because he knows what’s going on in the footy landscape very well and he’s an incredibly successful coach, but also incredibly respectful and I think he probably understood what might happen when he landed in Adelaide,” the Power coach said.
“He just reached out to let me know that that was going to happen – and it certainly happened!”
The Power will not play finals in 2022. Their 0-5 start was too much to overcome, coupled with significant injuries to ruckmen, key defenders, Charlie Dixon and others.
Despite the mounting issues, Hinkley does not want to make excuses for their season.
“I don’t go after (excuses) in any way shape or form because I just put it down to a footy season and at times that’s what gets mixed up in the barrel and that’s what you’ve got to deal with and there’s been other clubs who have had equally as many challenges and they’ve been able to be successful, unfortunately for us, we haven’t been successful in 2022,” he said.
“I don’t go into the excuses barrel, some of those things are real, but the reality is seasons do that to us all the time.”