PORT ADELAIDE senior coach addressed the media via a Zoom (video conference) media conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss the club’s season opener against Gold Coast on Saturday evening.
Here are the key takeaways from Hinkley:
Hinkley on the fitness of Scott Lycett and Charlie Dixon:
“Scotty (Lycett) will play. Charlie (Dixon) won’t play.
“Charlie hasn’t quite come up. We had him out there this morning and he’s not quite right to play, so we won’t take a risk.
“It’s an adductor injury that we thought would be fine, and normally they are, but unfortunately for Charlie he hasn’t been able to get up and going at speed that we needed him to.
“He’s not far away, but we just couldn’t take a risk being round 1.
Hinkley on Mitch Georgiades debuting against the Suns:
“Mitch Georgiades is playing. Mitch is playing his first game.
“It’s exciting news for us as a footy club to have another first-round player come in a play his first game in round 1.
“We look forward to seeing what Mitch brings.
Hinkley on the players’ excitement of playing round 1:
“The boys - to be fair - were quite up and about this morning.
“We had a really good session out there. They look like they’re ready to play footy. They’ve been waiting a long time.
“Obviously, the situation we face is really unusual and we are just managing that the best way we can,
“I am really confident the boys are ready to go and ready to go and play.
Hinkley on the shortened quarters:
“It certainly has to. It has to affect every team.
“You are taking around 20 per cent of game time and dealing with similar rotations and similar numbers on the bench.
“I think that will be really good for the game to be honest. I think it will create some genuine speed in the game and keep the speed there for a bit longer.
Hinkley on what the side has worked on over the pre-season:
“For us, it’s the talk about our efficiency going forward.
“That’s the stuff we have worked on over the summer. It doesn’t mean we are going to get it absolutely perfect, but our pre-season has been really strong.
“We have been really happy with what we were able to do against two really quality sides. Now we come up against a side that’s been in equally as a good a form as us, on their home deck.
“We are going to have to be really sharp with our efficiency going forward, otherwise their pressure will put us under pressure.
Hinkley on the effect of no SANFL:
“Early in the season I don’t think it’s too bad.
“We have all been doing the same amount of training. The club’s had a lot of preparation time.
“As the season goes - and we aren’t sure how long that will continue - we are going to have to manage that the best we can, and that will be to get the opportunity to get those boys to compete as much as we possibly can.
“It’s not perfect, but we understand train and perform at our best when we get the chance.
Hinkley on Brad Ebert:
“Brad (Ebert) is in the side and he will play.
“He’s been building his pre-season. He’s started to show some really positive signs.
“We appreciate that Brad has missed a lot of football in the last 12 months, and we are helping him build back into the really consistent for that Brad Ebert’s known for.
Hinkley on Jackson Mead’s fitness:
“He’s had another little nick.
“It’s one of those ones for a young player where he’s just struggling to get over. We will be really cautious with that.
“We don’t have opportunities for those games to be played to make sure Jackson (Mead) is as best as we can possibly get him before we put him at any risk.
“That might mean he’s another couple of weeks away. We will be very careful.
Hinkley on Gold Coast’s pre-season form:
“They have been outstanding.
“The start to their pre-season - I’m sure they would be very happy with where they are at.
“Both sides have had good form through the pre-season, which means it will be a very good game.
“The speed that they move the ball with and the speed that they hunt the opposition is a real challenge for us.
“We just need to make sure we are up for it.
Hinkley on the loss of Charlie Dixon:
“Obviously, he’s a big key forward and everyone has been talking Charlie up and you start to get a bit optimistic.
“He’s got an injury - albeit a small injury - but it opens up an opportunity for Mitch (Georgiades) to play. For Todd (Marshall) to play. For Westy (Westhoff) to help us out in that area. And obviously for Brad (Ebert) to come in and play a role.
“It’s going to make us look a bit different - we get that - but we can’t do much about it.
Hinkley on playing a sole ruckman to start the season:
“We will go with Scott (Lycett) for the start of the year.
“Pete (Ladhams) is in great form. He won’t be far away, and if need be, we would quite happily pick Pete.
“That’s why if Scott didn’t get up this week, we would’ve been bullish about Pete playing.
Hinkley on how the side will cover for the loss of Charlie Dixon:
“The focal point will be a mixture of the group.
“That’s what it has to be, and that’s what we did last year. We dealt without Charlie (Dixon) for basically most of last season.
“For Mitch (Georgiades), all we expect from any first-time player is to go out there and enjoy himself. Jump at the ball and see what he can create.
“He’s got some structure stuff that every player plays under, but Mitch is in that lucky position as a first-year player where he gets a bit of freedom to just play.
