Koch says Port Adelaide Power board still behind coach despite AFL finals exit

Port Adelaide Football Club chairman David Koch has said his faith in coach Ken Hinkley was not shaken by an inglorious straight-sets finals exit.

Koch and his Power board re-signed Hinkley for another two seasons before Port’s year soured with consecutive finals defeats.

“That football committee recommended to the board that Ken was the best coach and we still firmly believe, absolutely believe, he’s the best coach to take this club forward,” Koch told Adelaide radio station 5AA on Thursday.

“It certainly wasn’t a success because even Ken was saying that our pass mark was to make a preliminary final.

“We have got to do better and we think Ken is the person to take us forward.

“I’m as disappointed as anybody; don’t think that we think it is acceptable to go out in straight sets or not make finals or not win two finals.

“But it’s our view that of the coaches that are available, Ken is the best person to take the club forward.”

Koch pointed to Hinkley’s recent record stretching to three finals campaigns in four years.

“I look at data. The last four years we have had the second-best win-loss ratio of any club in the competition behind Brisbane,” he said.

“This year we broke the (club’s) AFL winning streak with 13 in a row, we finished third.”