It’s been claimed Port Adelaide has struck a “handshake agreement” that will see assistant coach Josh Carr take over from Ken Hinkley as senior coach at the end of 2025.
Hinkley was re-signed late last year after leading the Power back into the finals while under immense pressure for his job, adding a two-year extension, and a strong start to the 2024 season has followed.
But Carr, a 2004 Power premiership player, former SANFL coach and Fremantle assistant, has long been floated as the logical successor should Hinkley’s lengthy stint at the club come to an end.
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According to veteran journalist Caroline Wilson, both Carr and Hinkley have struck an agreement with the club which will see the former replace the latter in 18 months’ time.
“All things being equal, Ken Hinkley will coach this year, next year, and then he will stand aside for Josh Carr,” Wilson said on Nine’s Footy Classified.
“The club is working very closely with Josh Carr off field. They have a consultant who is coaching the coaches, but specifically with Josh. The board might not have been given an understanding but Josh Carr has been given that understanding.
“He didn’t go for the Richmond job last year largely because it was pointed out to him, this handshake agreement that the Port Adelaide job would be available to him when he is ready.
“The board has been told Josh is not ready yet, and he wasn’t ready last year, he’s not ready now. They’re trying to make him ready for the end of 2025. It’s an extraordinary situation and if it works, it’ll be applauded, particularly if Port could get a flag between now and then.”
A succession plan has worked wonderfully at both Sydney and Melbourne in recent years. On both occasions Paul Roos handed the baton over, with John Longmire and Simon Goodwin soon becoming premiership coaches after his stewardship ended.
However there was much less success at Essendon, where John Worsfold’s final year was all about getting Ben Rutten ready for an eventual 44-game failed stint, while at Collingwood, Nathan Buckley taking over from Mick Malthouse was both disputed at the time, and failed to deliver the club another premiership.
Hinkley has constantly praised Carr’s chances of becoming a senior coach publicly, telling 3AW this past weekend: “If Josh is going to be a senior coach at some point, I’d love it to be nothing more than at Port Adelaide.”
But Power great Kane Cornes complained the deal wasn’t giving Hinkley enough support.
“He’s finally got a key defender or two or three above the height of 6’3”. He shouldn’t be being asked questions about a succession plan – what if he wins a premiership this year?” Cornes asked.
“What if he does something extraordinary the next two years, and you’ve guaranteed Josh Carr the job? What if Chris Scott becomes available, or if another really impressive coach is available, and you’re pigeonholing yourself into a succession plan?”
He added: “The one thing that frustrates me about Port Adelaide is they listen to the supporters too much … this is to appease a supporter group that has a little bit of fatigue with Ken Hinkley.”
This past weekend Port Adelaide chairman David Koch hinted at the club’s interest in hiring from within to replace Hinkley down the road.
“Ken’s really supportive of Josh developing into a senior coach … Ken has publicly said he would like to see him as the senior coach of Port Adelaide,” Koch said on ABC’s Offsiders.
“We have extraordinarily high regard for (Carr). You know what sort of bloke he is. He’s got a way, he’s worked at other organisations, he knows the Port Adelaide way, and we put a lot of effort into coaching development.
“We would rather train up from (inside the club) than outside. I’m not sure if a lot of clubs do it, but we have a development coach for coaches. So, we put a lot of resources into it, and our assistant coaches are sensational, and we produced — you’re welcome — great head coaches for other clubs. See all of them coming through?”
Asked specifically if Carr had been told by the Power board he is next in line to coach the club, Koch said: “Not from the board.”
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