Port: Imagine the pressure on Ken with no handover plan

The Advertiser

26-05-2025

Critics blasting Port Adelaide's coaching succession plan as a failure are missing one vital point, the club's footy boss says.
What if it wasn't there?
"I imagine that there might even be more pressure on Ken right now," Port's general manager of football Chris Davies told reporters on Monday.
Coach Ken Hinkley's 13th and final season as head coach before handing over to assistant Josh Carr has wobbled to the bye with four wins and seven losses.
With the poor results, Davies isn't surprised pundits are lining up the succession plan as a factor and a failure.
"Coming into this year, you know that if you start losing games that people are going to be questioning that aspect of it," he said.
"Not much has been going fantastically well for us this year.
"And rather than focus on what you (media) would like to focus on, I think that internally we have got some actual practical things that we need to get right in the next period of time."
For Davies, that should be a bigger focus than the coaching succession plan.
"I totally understand that when you don't play good football, that you open yourself up to people wanting to talk about any aspect of your club," he said.
"Our job is to get back to playing better.
"The irony, I guess, through this is that when we win, there's no talk about it. And when we lose, there is talk about it."
Davies said there had been no discussion about accelerating the handover should the Power fall from finals contention.
"I don't think that has ever been a doubt with Ken," he said.
"If there ever came that time, I'm 100 per cent convinced that he would come and tell me that.
"But I haven't seen anything that would suggest that Ken doesn't have the energy for the job."
Davies hoped influential utility Miles Bergman would use Port's bye to further consider a long-term deal, believed to seven years.
Bergman falls off contract at season's end and has strong suitors in his native Victoria.
The Power also have an eight-year offer on the table for dual All Australian midfielder Zak Butters, another Victorian, whose contract expires at the end of next season.
"Zak has got a an amazing offer in front of him and Miles has got a very good offer in front of him," Davies said, adding the club wasn't pressuring a deadline on the duo.
Critics blasting Port Adelaide's coaching succession plan as a failure are missing one vital point, the club's footy boss says.
What if it wasn't there?
"I imagine that there might even be more pressure on Ken right now," Port's general manager of football Chris Davies told reporters on Monday.
Coach Ken Hinkley's 13th and final season as head coach before handing over to assistant Josh Carr has wobbled to the bye with four wins and seven losses.
With the poor results, Davies isn't surprised pundits are lining up the succession plan as a factor and a failure.
"Coming into this year, you know that if you start losing games that people are going to be questioning that aspect of it," he said.
"Not much has been going fantastically well for us this year.
"And rather than focus on what you (media) would like to focus on, I think that internally we have got some actual practical things that we need to get right in the next period of time."
For Davies, that should be a bigger focus than the coaching succession plan.
"I totally understand that when you don't play good football, that you open yourself up to people wanting to talk about any aspect of your club," he said.
"Our job is to get back to playing better.
"The irony, I guess, through this is that when we win, there's no talk about it. And when we lose, there is talk about it."
Davies said there had been no discussion about accelerating the handover should the Power fall from finals contention.
"I don't think that has ever been a doubt with Ken," he said.
"If there ever came that time, I'm 100 per cent convinced that he would come and tell me that.
"But I haven't seen anything that would suggest that Ken doesn't have the energy for the job."
Davies hoped influential utility Miles Bergman would use Port's bye to further consider a long-term deal, believed to seven years.
Bergman falls off contract at season's end and has strong suitors in his native Victoria.
The Power also have an eight-year offer on the table for dual All Australian midfielder Zak Butters, another Victorian, whose contract expires at the end of next season.
"Zak has got a an amazing offer in front of him and Miles has got a very good offer in front of him," Davies said, adding the club wasn't pressuring a deadline on the duo.
Critics blasting Port Adelaide's coaching succession plan as a failure are missing one vital point, the club's footy boss says.
What if it wasn't there?
"I imagine that there might even be more pressure on Ken right now," Port's general manager of football Chris Davies told reporters on Monday.
Coach Ken Hinkley's 13th and final season as head coach before handing over to assistant Josh Carr has wobbled to the bye with four wins and seven losses.
With the poor results, Davies isn't surprised pundits are lining up the succession plan as a factor and a failure.
"Coming into this year, you know that if you start losing games that people are going to be questioning that aspect of it," he said.
"Not much has been going fantastically well for us this year.
"And rather than focus on what you (media) would like to focus on, I think that internally we have got some actual practical things that we need to get right in the next period of time."
For Davies, that should be a bigger focus than the coaching succession plan.
"I totally understand that when you don't play good football, that you open yourself up to people wanting to talk about any aspect of your club," he said.
"Our job is to get back to playing better.
"The irony, I guess, through this is that when we win, there's no talk about it. And when we lose, there is talk about it."
Davies said there had been no discussion about accelerating the handover should the Power fall from finals contention.
"I don't think that has ever been a doubt with Ken," he said.
"If there ever came that time, I'm 100 per cent convinced that he would come and tell me that.
"But I haven't seen anything that would suggest that Ken doesn't have the energy for the job."
Davies hoped influential utility Miles Bergman would use Port's bye to further consider a long-term deal, believed to seven years.
Bergman falls off contract at season's end and has strong suitors in his native Victoria.
The Power also have an eight-year offer on the table for dual All Australian midfielder Zak Butters, another Victorian, whose contract expires at the end of next season.
"Zak has got a an amazing offer in front of him and Miles has got a very good offer in front of him," Davies said, adding the club wasn't pressuring a deadline on the duo.