Should Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley be North Melbourne’s primary target if they miss out on Alastair Clarkson?
Essendon has come rushing into the race for the four-time premiership coach and may yet pip the Kangaroos for his services.
The Roos have been all-in on Clarkson and will need to pivot quickly with the off-season approaching.
Kane Cornes not only believes Hinkley will be perfect for North Melbourne, but doesn’t think the Power would stop him if he wished to leave.
“He’s got one year, he will be coach of Port Adelaide next year, but he’s going to walk into Round 1 next season with a portion of the Port Adelaide fans against him. They almost want to see Ken Hinkley fail,” Cornes told SEN SA Breakfast.
“And the prospect that if he started, say it’s Round 8 and Port is 2-6 or 3-5, there’s the prospect that he could lose his job early on next year. It’s a reality if things don’t go well like Leon Cameron at GWS. You’ve got security for about six months, really.
“Or you’ve got a club like North Melbourne who have missed on their guy Alastair Clarkson, they can’t go with an untried coach, I’ve spoken about what a perfect fit Hinkley would be at North Melbourne because of his ability to rebuild and set standards and galvanise a group, his honesty, he’d be perfect for a young group.
“He prioritises playing the youth and giving them the opportunity as we’ve seen at Port Adelaide.
“Let’s just say North come and say ‘well Ken, you’ve got one year at Port, or you can have four or five with us and we’ll give you the time and patience that you need to rebuild this group’.
“It’s not even a decision for him to make. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I’m thinking what North Melbourne has to do if they miss out on Clarkson and where do they go to next.
“Considering all the key decisions including trade period, draft, list decisions that need to be made pretty much now.
“Do Port Adelaide let him go with their blessing? I think they would.”
Hinkley took over Port Adelaide in 2013 with the club at rock bottom following the Matthew Primus era.
He was voted the AFL Coaches Association Coach of the Year in his first season and has led the club to multiple Preliminary Finals and a minor premiership.
Hinkley is contracted through 2023 and has been guaranteed his job by Chairman David Koch.