Power coach Ken Hinkley bristled when questioned whether he should have stepped down last year instead of fulfilling the final year of his contract.
The Power opted to implement a succession plan, allowing Josh Carr to remain as senior assistant before taking over ahead of the 2026 season.
Power coach Ken Hinkley.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“I find that highly offensive,” Hinkley said when questioned.
When the journalist rephrased by saying the question was a follow-up to his claims this year had been a “battle”, Hinkley responded: “For me, even that way, the question is unfair. I committed, and the club, committed to seeing the season out, right from the very start of the year. We have said all the way along, we knew what was going on.
“Yeah, the challenges that came, don’t make any difference to our position on what we were trying to achieve through this year. Rightly or wrongly, the ladder will certainly say we didn’t perform well enough but, internally, I think we have put ourselves in a really good spot going forward.
“We have been able to focus on some of the stuff, and I have been able to just focus on coaching the team week to week. I think that’s been OK. I think that sets us up for a really positive 2026 for Josh’s first year. I think that gives him a great chance.”
The Power fell in a preliminary final last year, but have had only eight wins this season, and are in 13th spot.