The 46-year-old becomes the club’s fourth AFL coach since its entry to the competition in 1997 and is relishing the challenge of restoring the Power’s status after five successive seasons out of the finals.
[ Related: Three new appointments to power Port Adelaide ]
“It’s a really proud club if you look at the 36 premierships in the SANFL and even in the AFL,” Hinkley told PortAdelaideFC.com.au “It’s been a really successful club at state and national level.
“In only 15 years, the club has won an AFL flag and played in another grand final.
“Yes there’s been a drop-off since 2007, but this club knows how to win.
“It knows success and it knows what that takes and that is a really powerful thing, and I am honoured to be a part of that.”
Hinkley comes to the senior role at Port Adelaide continuing a successful coaching career which began 17 years ago when his decorated playing days came to a close after 11 games with Fitzroy and 121 outings for Geelong.
He returned to Geelong as an assistant coach between 2004 and 2009, playing an important part in the Cats’ rebuild and the first two flags in its recent triple-premiership era.
In 2010, Hinkley sought the challenge of helping to establish the Gold Coast Suns where he served as an assistant coach until the end of the recently completed season.
[ Related: Envestra bolsters Power partnership ]
Long touted as an senior AFL coach, he believes he brings valuable experiences from his most recent AFL postings along with an earlier stint at St Kilda and a number of premiership-winning years as a coach in his own right in Victorian regional leagues.
“The last four or five years of my career in particular have been great for my preparation for a senior coaching role and I certainly believe I’m ready for the job at Port Adelaide as well as hungry,” Hinkley said.
“What I learnt in the Geelong environment is the importance of stability and of patience and getting everyone working towards the same thing.
“You need to get the right people and you all need to keep turning up and keep working hard and making sure you see it through, and from that you create a really successful place.”
Working at a start-up club brought its own challenges and rewards.
“At the Gold Coast Suns, everything was brand new and you had to learn to deal with what you had,” Hinkley recalled.
“We didn’t have what others in the competition had, but we made the most of what we had and that is a very valuable lesson too.
“If you’re prepared to work hard and make sure you get everything out of all that you’ve got, you can have success.
“That’s what we were about on the Gold Coast and while they’ve got a lot of young players but I have no doubt the Suns will end up being very successful.”
[ Related: Burgess comes home ]
Hinkley doesn’t underestimate the challenge at Alberton, but believes the football department staff and playing group can turn around their fortunes.
“I’ll demand the full commitment of the playing group to getting the absolute most out of themselves to ensure they’re part of the success of a great football club,” Hinkley vowed.
“Success is what we are about and we will build an environment that reflects success.
“We’ve got a young list that is eager to develop and to achieve success in its own right. I’ve got every confidence that we can continue to develop and add to that list and every confidence in the people we have at the club to maximise that list.”
Hinkley - who is married to Donna and has three children - is excited by the move to Adelaide.
“I’m certainly not scared to take on a challenge and I look forward to being a part of what we are going to build at Port Adelaide,” he said. “We’re going to remain absolutely focused on that mission and we will all be working together towards creating success this club.”
Long touted as an senior AFL coach, he believes he brings valuable experiences from his most recent AFL postings along with an earlier stint at St Kilda and a number of premiership-winning years as a coach in his own right in Victorian regional leagues.
“The last four or five years of my career in particular have been great for my preparation for a senior coaching role and I certainly believe I’m ready for the job at Port Adelaide as well as hungry,” Hinkley said.
“What I learnt in the Geelong environment is the importance of stability and of patience and getting everyone working towards the same thing.
“You need to get the right people and you all need to keep turning up and keep working hard and making sure you see it through, and from that you create a really successful place.”
Working at a start-up club brought its own challenges and rewards.
“At the Gold Coast Suns, everything was brand new and you had to learn to deal with what you had,” Hinkley recalled.
“We didn’t have what others in the competition had, but we made the most of what we had and that is a very valuable lesson too.
“If you’re prepared to work hard and make sure you get everything out of all that you’ve got, you can have success.
“That’s what we were about on the Gold Coast and while they’ve got a lot of young players but I have no doubt the Suns will end up being very successful.”
[ Related: Burgess comes home ]
Hinkley doesn’t underestimate the challenge at Alberton, but believes the football department staff and playing group can turn around their fortunes.
“I’ll demand the full commitment of the playing group to getting the absolute most out of themselves to ensure they’re part of the success of a great football club,” Hinkley vowed.
“Success is what we are about and we will build an environment that reflects success.
“We’ve got a young list that is eager to develop and to achieve success in its own right. I’ve got every confidence that we can continue to develop and add to that list and every confidence in the people we have at the club to maximise that list.”
Hinkley - who is married to Donna and has three children - is excited by the move to Adelaide.
“I’m certainly not scared to take on a challenge and I look forward to being a part of what we are going to build at Port Adelaide,” he said. “We’re going to remain absolutely focused on that mission and we will all be working together towards creating success this club.”
