{"id":76066,"date":"2025-07-28T10:20:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T00:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=76066"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:29:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T00:29:46","slug":"the-rod-they-made-for-ken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2025\/07\/the-rod-they-made-for-ken\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rod They Made For Ken"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qm11IziYowQ\">Watching the whimper with which Port went down in The Showdown on Saturday night, I thought of Ken Hinkley and the rod that the club which he has faithfully (and mostly successfully) formed for his back.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That rod, in my eyes, took away the Ken Hinkley superpower that has made his teams so special to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I remember that 2014 Port team that took the league by storm because they <em>ran<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=63EgBW973ng&amp;t=3s&amp;ab_channel=JAISuryawanshi\">They were like Coach Carter\u2019s Richmond High School team and the rest of the league couldn\u2019t keep up.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a>They<\/a> overwhelmed teams with their running power, and had enough skill in the front half with guys like Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard to guarantee themselves some end product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matt White - 2014 AFL Goal of the Year\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fPqoirbtsqw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That running power, inspired by Ken, was almost enough for them to topple the Hawthorn dynasty before it began in the Preliminary Final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hawthorn v Port Adelaide highlights - PF, 2014\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cXR7q-KIfJI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That game was their season. They ran and ran to the end of the game while Hawthorn just stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2014 Power had deeper reserves of will than anyone since Phar Lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They just missed their chances at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that became what Port under Hinkley have been for over a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His teams have always had will significantly outstrip skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s the old fighter versus athlete dichotomy that\u2019s dominating modern fight sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People like Cyril Gane or Daniel Dubois are extraordinary athletes who lack the will of the less gifted but more willing legends who came before them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas a guy like Arturo Gatti was a fraction of the level of athlete that those guys are, but had more willpower than the two of them combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2002-05-18 Arturo Gatti vs Mickey Ward (round 9)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D5mRv3xGY80?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Effort was his superpower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hinkley superpower is coaching that effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the way he has done it is always by positioning himself and his team against <em>everyone<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Kenny anthem has to be \u201cme against the world\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Me Against The World\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hNXdOhwVAhk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And Ken often didn\u2019t have to look too far<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David Koch is the AFL\u2019s Jerry Jones, the administrator that loves the spotlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/sport\/afl\/afl-season-2016-besieged-port-coach-ken-hinkley-doing-all-he-can-to-turn-thing-around-20160424-godo54.html\">Since 2016, it\u2019s felt like David Koch has been looking for a reason to sack Ken and he hasn\u2019t been able to wait to tell any journalist who will listen.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It didn\u2019t matter that Hinkley has never had a season with fewer than 10 wins. Kochie\u2019s always been there to publicly litigate his job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I imagine every offseason conversation was like when Billy Beane went to speak to the owner in <em>Moneyball, <\/em>except Ken isn\u2019t asking for more money, he\u2019s asking for Kochie to shut up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Moneyball: We Need Money (MOVIE SCENE) | With Captions\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BzkwAEu4gzE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Only for Kochie to say \u201cwe\u2019re not going to compete with the teams who don\u2019t want their president to be the most famous identity on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That kind of uncertainty, that precariousness, and the combativeness that comes with it has always been part of Ken\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s built a cult of personality around himself and his boys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s always been able to tell his players: <em>\u201cThey want us to fail so they can break us up.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And his teams bought in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s always built on that combativeness publicly as well, reacting to whatever is in the ether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He never left any doubt that he and his boys were one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember the Ginnivan plane comment and Ken\u2019s reaction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hinkley FLAMED for &quot;embarrassing&quot; post-game sledging to Ginni &amp; losing Hawks | Fox Footy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xIHdU8VlPRk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Or when he pulled out \u201c5-0 hands\u201d after a bad run of Showdowns in 2018?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It is one of the most famous images of Ken Hinkley.<br><br>Yelling \u201c0 and 5\u201d in Port\u2019s coaches&#39; box towards the crowd while gesturing those numbers with his hands, then doing the same as he shouts \u201c1 and 0\u201d.<br><br>Go inside Ken&#39;s 13-year Showdown rollercoaster \u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YNkrC7dy6q\">https:\/\/t.co\/YNkrC7dy6q<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uKOA0lSJJC\">pic.twitter.com\/uKOA0lSJJC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; CODE AFL (@codeaflau) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/codeaflau\/status\/1948874881422295054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 25, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What about when he jumped for joy after beating Melbourne to win seven in a row in 2023, while Koch and the brass wouldn\u2019t extend him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ken Hinkley is every Power fan right now! \ud83e\udd29\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7uEotytJnEk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He always knew what people were saying about him both internally and externally and weaponised it publicly and privately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He can say it\u2019s all about what\u2019s inside the four walls all he wants, but blind Freddie can see Ken\u2019s rabbit ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re what made him great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His teams always took it personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They always played like it could all fall apart without maximum effort and they turned that into fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which brings me back to the rod Port made for Ken\u2019s back at the start of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They made a coach who thrived on adversity and uncertainty, certain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This would be the last year of Ken. Suddenly <em>they <\/em>weren\u2019t doing anything to <em>us<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, it became <em>we <\/em>are doing it all <em>together<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That, to me, is the biggest reason for their drop off this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t a markedly worse or different list than the last four years where they\u2019ve won at least 16 games three out of four times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re the same kind of rag tag bunch with a few stars dotted around the place mostly in the midfield that Ken turned into a perennial top-4 team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They just don\u2019t have the precariousness that Ken could weaponise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3zcS4LW6gGU&amp;ab_channel=AbsoluteScenes\">It\u2019s like Logan Roy asking Kendall why his self-esteem is so low six months after saying he\u2019s coming out of retirement.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Succession | I am back!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3zcS4LW6gGU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You did this! It\u2019s your fault!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s a story for another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the story is how much I enjoyed Ken and his teams even without them ever winning the ultimate prize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watching the whimper with which Port went down in The Showdown on Saturday night, I thought of Ken Hinkley and the rod that the club which he has faithfully (and mostly successfully) formed for his back. That rod, in my eyes, took away the Ken Hinkley superpower that has made his teams so special to watch. I remember that 2014 Port team that took the league by storm because they ran. They were like Coach Carter\u2019s Richmond High School team and the rest of the league couldn\u2019t keep up. They overwhelmed teams with their running power, and had enough skill&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":76067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8298,598,344],"tags":[8260],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-76066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australian-rules","category-guywholikessport","category-special-interest","category-sports","tag-guywholikessport"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":"","md_tip_date_end":"","md_market_url":"","tip_date":"28\/07\/2025","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76066"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87757,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76066\/revisions\/87757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76066"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=76066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}