Opinion Sack Hinkley 4 - Show Him The Door

[70sDinosaur]

Something big is happening.
They’re going to ship off Kenny?

Maybe Biden's being traded out.

 

[Interstater]

Maybe Biden's being traded out.

I have no idea which of the 7 emotes is appropriate here...

 

[OneGreatClub]

Footy classified reporting we're in talks with Jeremy Finlayson. Do we really want another tall forward??

You are a bit late to the party

 

[PowerLil]

Ken on 5aa tomorrow apparently (I think with Rowe)

Friday. Yippee

 

[Footy Time]

My e-mail to Richo:

Dear Mr. Richardson,

I have been a Port Adelaide supporter since 2001 (I was 9 years old). In the last 20 years I have been a member for over 15 of them including every year since 2013. I lived in Melbourne from 2013 until 2019 but it didn’t stop me buying a full 11 game membership for my family of 3, and I personally would travel from Melbourne to Adelaide for at least 80% of our home games during that period.

I was also there on Saturday night witnessing the debacle at Adelaide Oval.

Our president this morning on FiveAA suggested that Saturday night’s game was an aberration. Was it really? Since 2017 when has this team actually produced consistently high performances against a top 4 opponent? In that time we are 3 wins and 19 losses against top 4 teams - 3rd worst record in the league. Until this team can consistently produce high level performances against the top teams in the competition, the thought of winning a premiership is laughable.

Our senior coach has consistently said all season that we should not be judged on what we do in June or July, but we should be judged by what we do in finals. He said at the start of the year that we were “ready” to go all the way this year. You yourself set out an ambitious goal at the start of your tenure - 3 flags in the next 5 seasons. I applauded it at the time and I still do. It is the type of lofty goals that should be set for a club that solely exists to win premierships. Yet with one season down that goal is now 3 flags in the next 4 seasons. An ambitious goal, yes. Realistic - possibly. But this morning our president said on the radio that we’re a young team and we are still building. The mixed messaging after the fact in an attempt to pacify the supporters is quite frankly a disgrace.

In the last 9 years we have seen our footy department become fully funded. We have turned over the assistant coaching roster - and on many occasions our senior coach has labelled our coaching assistants as the best in the league. We have acquired many players who were supposedly the “missing piece” of the puzzle - Ryder, Dixon, Rockliff, Motlop, Watts, Lycett etc. We’ve also done multiple rebuilds during this time - first at the start of 2013 and again at the end of 2018. As it stands right now, it can be argued that our playing list is as good as any in the league. This might be a team who can still improve through its young development, but the club touted them as a team ready to win this season, which they haven’t, and now the president is seeking damage control without even apologising to the supporter base. The only stone this club hasn’t turned over during this period in an attempt to improve the team is change the senior coach.

If our senior coach stays in charge for 2022, half way through the year he will hold the record for most games coached by an individual at one club without making the grand final. For a club that supposedly exists to win premierships, having that record associated with us is an embarrassment. Nothing about that embodies what the club is about - nor does it make out community proud.

There are some extremely accomplished young coaches available - and some experienced heads, including the most successful coach in the history of the modern game (Alistair Clarkson).

Having been asked to be judged on finals, it is fair to say that the team has not only gone backwards compared to last year’s performance, but they produced a performance on Saturday night that wasn’t too dissimilar to the rubbish we saw when the club was on its knees in the early 2010s at Footy Park.

From 1999 through 2001 inclusive, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were considered an elite team that should have gone to the Super Bowl. They made the playoffs three straight years but were underwhelming in the playoffs. At the end of the 2001 season having done everything they could otherwise to win, they realised they needed a change. They dismissed their head coach and traded for the best young coach in the league at the time, Jon Gruden. In Gruden’s first season as the Buccaneers’ head coach they won the Super Bowl.

Fortune favours the brave - and it is time our club be brave and make some hard decisions - not for the betterment of the people involved, but for the betterment of the club.

I look forward to hearing from you.

This was posted on a Port Adelaide facebook page, and the great man Tredders even commented on it voicing his approval of your post.

 

[crafty_bernardo]

We always hear stories about kids mailing AFL players money and a heartfelt letter pleading them to stay at the club. Maybe someone could do that , attach 50cents and plead him to leave. Might work..

 

[70sDinosaur]

We always hear stories about kids mailing AFL players money and a heartfelt letter pleading them to stay at the club. Maybe someone could do that , attach 50cents and plead him to leave. Might work..

Maybe we could get a kid from Nigeria to send him a letter with an offer to deposit a million bucks into his bank account if he resigns.

 

[TeeKray]

I commented a few weeks ago about the similarities between this season and our 2007 season. We didn't get humiliated in the GF this time but a 71 point home PF demolition certainly contains some parallels. And guess what? The response to said demolition is yet another comparison to 2007.

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or however that saying goes. I don't expect us to make finals next year and anticipate a painful next few years.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Lol hinkley is very done. People like Kane and Tredrea saying negative things is going to turn the happy clappers against Hinkley as well.

 

[PA88]

I commented a few weeks ago about the similarities between this season and our 2007 season. We didn't get humiliated in the GF this time but a 71 point home PF demolition certainly contains some parallels. And guess what? The response to said demolition is yet another comparison to 2007.

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or however that saying goes. I don't expect us to make finals next year and anticipate a painful next few years.

Agree with the first paragraph. The 2007 scoreline is worse unfortunately but we weren't favourites to win (although nothing excuses that scoreline). This prelim, although the scoreline is not like the 07 GF, it was at home, we were outright favourites, and the Bulldogs were supposedly battered and fatigued from their circumstances of the past month. So, it can be argued to actually be a worse defeat.

I don't know what to expect next year as yet.

 

[PAFC66]

There are no guarantees next year, I think we will slide, the performance from Saturday night will be etched into the brains of our players, let's see what happens next year when we lose a few games, those little mental demons will resurface.

Ken will be in survival mode now.

I almost hope we do slide. Ken can't get us through big games in finals against great opposition so what's the point? If it means they sack ken halfway through the year than that's a big win and I'll re-sign as a member then

 

[Portology]

Something big is happening.
They’re going to ship off Kenny?

That would be the nuclear option

 

[Portology]

I almost hope we do slide. Ken can't get us through big games in finals against great opposition so what's the point? If it means they sack ken halfway through the year than that's a big win and I'll re-sign as a member then

Carn.

He leaves end 2021 content with a flag I'll personally add a Chris Scott "I Was There" participation award to his trophy cupboard and finally move on.

But yeah not giving up my membership or my precious Bay 334 seats just to shoot myself and the club in the foot in anger. Even if I do live in Gladystan.

 

[hOUTkley]

There's no point hoping we slide. Old mate has survived enough coach killers over the past few years. They'd come up with some excuse as to why it's not his fault and how "brave" he is sticking with a "young" list.

 

[Jibroni]

Chewy316 brilliant email, one of the best critiques I have read, most journalists in Adelaide would struggle to make such a balanced assessment.

 

[dirty2]

Friday. Yippee

Well Im not tuning in. But I haven't listened to him in years....
Kinda like the players

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I commented a few weeks ago about the similarities between this season and our 2007 season. We didn't get humiliated in the GF this time but a 71 point home PF demolition certainly contains some parallels. And guess what? The response to said demolition is yet another comparison to 2007.

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or however that saying goes. I don't expect us to make finals next year and anticipate a painful next few years.

The scariest thing is I'm not even sure if I want us to make finals next year.

If we make it, going on the past 9 years of evidence it will result in another failure. If we miss, then we get a real coach for 2023, we get the additional weeks preparation for 2023, and we get a higher draft pick.

Our best chance of success honestly seems to be to move on Boak, Gray and Dixon, pump games in to kids next year, and then have another crack in 2 years time.

 

[PAFC66]

Apparently they haven't even reviewed the game and won't bother.
The players decided to dress up and get on the turps at the Balaklava races instead.
Sounds like that's it, see you in summer boys.
2007 all over again.

 

[PAFC66]

The scariest thing is I'm not even sure if I want us to make finals next year.

If we make it, going on the past 9 years of evidence it will result in another failure. If we miss, then we get a real coach for 2023, we get the additional weeks preparation for 2023, and we get a higher draft pick.

Our best chance of success honestly seems to be to move on Boak, Gray and Dixon, pump games in to kids next year, and then have another crack in 2 years time.

With a bit of luck Gold Coast take Dixon back. I know they've been interested. I think we've seen Dixon's ceiling. Mentally he's just not right.

 

[RossFC]

We always hear stories about kids mailing AFL players money and a heartfelt letter pleading them to stay at the club. Maybe someone could do that , attach 50cents and plead him to leave. Might work..

It would take attaching 400k to a letter to get rid.

 

[Pt Augusta Power]

Apparently they haven't even reviewed the game and won't bother.
The players decided to dress up and get on the turps at the Balaklava races instead.
Sounds like that's it, see you in summer boys.
2007 all over again.

Yep the narrative from the club is that it is a once off poor performance and we’ll just move swiftly into 2022.

no accountability. But there never has been under Ken’s leadership.

 

[PowerBaz]

This email I wrote to Richo has since been picked up by "We are Port Adelaide" on Facebook. Even Tredrea commented saying "well done for voicing what needed to be said."

We need to be loud and not just give in. And if any of you think I'm crazy, the people who are craziest enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

I am still working out where to take this from here but I'm not just going to do nothing and complain.

#sackken

Warren should interview you.

 

[Steve Dore]

The Advertiser have this morning revealed the reason for last Saturday night's performance

 

[PowerBaz]

Maybe Ken should look at himself - has he been of service? Is he a detriment to the club?

 

[PowerLil]

Darren also said "Ken has the full support of the board"