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“No deviation”: What Blight took out of lunch meeting with Hinkley
Lachlan Geleit • June 6th, 2025 10:01 am
Aussie rules icon Malcolm Blight met with Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley for lunch during the week.
Blight, who catches up with Hinkley a couple of times a year, felt now was the right time to meet as speculation continues about his future as Port Adelaide coach.
Despite 2025 being Hinkley’s last season in charge with Josh Carr to take over in a succession plan next season, reports emerged recently that he’d step away not at the end of the season, but as soon as his 15th-placed side was mathematically out of finals contention.
Following those reports, Hinkley reaffirmed that he’d see out the season and Blight says the coach is in a really good space despite Port’s 4-7 record.
“Well, I talk to Ken and text him two or three times a year just about how he’s going, really,” Blight told SEN’s Sportsday SA.
“I just figured it was probably time to catch up over a sandwich at lunchtime and we just had a chat.
“He's in a really good space, and in fact, he’s quite bubbly about the weekend (against GWS) because the club's had a week off. If you're going to get some reaction now (from the players), this bye seems to help everyone.
“He was quite bubbly about what was going to happen. That’s right (he has players coming back).”
After speaking to the coach himself, Blight backed up the stance Hinkley made in the press, stating that there’ll be absolutely no deviation in his initial plan to see out the campaign before handing over to Carr.
“Ken will be what he's going to be, he’s been professional for 13 years in a row now,” Blight said.
“You don't keep a job if you're not any good doing it for years.
“That decision's been made, but he's just parked it and said, ‘This is what we're going to do this weekend’.
“He was quite bubbly about the whole thing. Absolutely (he’ll see out the season), no deviation, none whatsoever.”
Port Adelaide next face GWS at Manuka Oval on Saturday night.
