New Port Adelaide assistant Josh Carr says he has ambitions to one day be a senior coach – but insists he’s not looking to take Ken Hinkley’s job anytime soon.
Carr returned to the Power, where he played 124 games, in mid-September after departing his assistant coaching role at Fremantle.
It came at a time when plenty of pressure was still on Hinkley, and it was suggested at the time that Carr was well placed to take one day take the senior Port job as his own.
Speaking on SEN’s Sportsday, Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy questioned Carr on whether he had plans to be a senior coach.
“It looks to me like you’re heading towards senior coaching, is that the ambition?” Healy asked.
Carr replied: “One day, definitely. That’s what I’m looking at and what I’m aiming for.
“But I’m not in a rush at the same time. I think the longer I am in the game as an assistant coach, the longer I’ve been learning.
“When the opportunity comes I’ll be ready, but at the moment I’m really enjoying my assistant coaching.”
Hinkley’s Port Adelaide entered the 2022 season among the premiership favourites after two straight Preliminary Final appearances but five rounds in were still without a win.
While the Power battled hard to only narrowly miss the top eight, it was an underwhelming campaign which had Hinkley’s contract status frequently in the headlines.
The 56-year-old is out of contract at the end of 2023 and as Kane Cornes notes, appears as the most under-pressure coach in the AFL.
“The Port Adelaide supporters have put a lot of pressure on Ken and haven’t been completely happy with his performance,” the Power great stated.
“Year 11 now, out of contract, and the coach under the most pressure probably heading into the season.”
But Carr says Hinkley isn’t letting the pressure get to him and enters 2023 in strong spirits.
“I think the first thing is I think there’s always been really high expectations at Port, it’s something as coaches and players you always have to live with… from coming into the club and being with Ken for two weeks, the energy he’s got for the role is probably more than what he had back in 2015 when I left (for Fremantle),” the midfield coach stated.
“He's up and about. The pressure on the football club, I don’t think that’s affecting him at all.
“He’s got great energy, I think what’s important for us as assistant coaches is we take a bit of that heat off him by making sure that we do our best to help the players develop and be the best come the start of the season.”