Hinkley on thin ice with replacement ready to go

Caroline Wilson says the pressure on Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is mounting, with assistant Josh Carr in the waiting bay if the team fails to reach finals in 2024.

Hinkley is contracted to the Power until the end of 2025, with Wilson recently claiming the Power struck up a “handshake agreement” that would see Carr take over from him from 2026 onwards.

However, after Port’s dismal 42-point loss at the hands of Collingwood, which saw them lead by as many as 31 points, Hinkley’s tenure could soon be cut short.

With the Power’s succession plan already in motion, Wilson believes the club will have no fears in bringing forward Carr’s start date if Hinkley cannot get his side into the 2024 finals series.

“If Port don’t make finals this year, Ken (Hinkley) is not there next year, clearly and Josh Carr is the coach,” Wilson said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Monday night.

Carr, who was a 2004 premiership player for the Power, has been an assistant coach at the club since 2023.

His looming move into the senior coaching role has been lauded by club officials including Hinkley, despite the negative connotations that surround pre-planning your club’s future.

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“You might say they have to go through a process (to hire a new coach) and they shouldn’t just have a succession plan,” Wilson said.

“I believe in clubs who do this (prepare their next coach). It shows good stability.

“(Carr) didn’t go for the Richmond (coaching) job last year, because he had the handshake agreement.”

Earlier this month, Hinkley himself noted how impressive Carr’s coaching ability is, throwing his support behind him to take over his role when the time comes.

“I don’t know whether Josh will definitely be the next man at Port Adelaide, because that’s not a decision for me,” Hinkley said on 3AW radio.

“But Josh is going to be a senior coach at some point. I’d love it to be at Port Adelaide.”

Hinkley also denied there was any tension towards Carr if conversations are taking place to replace the current leader.

“I’m doing everything I can to help Josh get that job,” he said.

Despite Port Adelaide’s miserable loss to the Pies which leaves them 4-2 after six rounds, Wilson says no rushed decisions on Hinkley’s future will be made until after the 2024 season.

“They obviously think Josh Carr is the next man and Ken agrees,” she said.

“But it just depends how they go for the rest of the year.”

The Power face off against the 13th-placed Saints at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.