OLLIE WINES should put pen to paper on a new contract soon.

That’s the word from Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley who, like Wines, is about to start his fourth season at Alberton.

“It’s really risky to say that he’s close, but he’s really close,” Hinkley said at Port's annual general meeting on Friday.

Power fans were left wondering on Wines's status at the club, having hoped the 21-year-old midfielder would form one of four late-year announcements in 2015.

Good mate Chad Wingard was the Power’s marquee announcement on the last Thursday before Christmas, but Port supporters have been left to wait a little longer to find out Wines’s intentions.

The triple Gavin Wanganeen Medallist has made subtle hints at his desire to stay, including ‘liking’ a fan’s tweet in December last year.

Hinkley described Wines’s character inside Port Adelaide headquarters as a dyed-in-the-wool club man, who likes to do things at his pace.

“He’s a Port man. He loves his teammates, you watch him train, you watch the way he gets involved in our football club,” Hinkley said.

“Ollie is his own man – a little bit – in the way he makes his own decisions in his own time.

“That’s the great thing about Ollie, you just give him some time and space and he’ll make the right decision.”

So when might a contract extension be on its way? There appears to be no firm timeline on negotiations with Wines and his management, but Hinkley reckons it’s hard to imagine Wines abandoning the chance to see his favourite SANFL club on the same weekend as his beloved AFL team.

“I’ve had lots of conversations and Chris [Davies – Port’s head of football] has had lots of conversations about where he’s at, and he just loves Port Adelaide,” Hinkley said.

“He’s the No. 1 cheer squad member for the Maggies as well as for the Power, and he just loves the whole thing of Port Adelaide. You just couldn’t imagine him not staying at Port Adelaide.

“We’re very comfortable.” 

Wines has been training hard with the Power ahead of the start of pre-season football in February. The first game of the regular season is against St Kilda on Easter Sunday.


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