Port Adelaide great and board member Warren Tredrea and veteran journalist Caroline Wilson have been involved in a fiery radio confrontation over his controversial comments in response to an angry Power fan.
Wilson reported the Power were “divided” and left “seething” after Tredrea, in a talkback radio segment, said “good call” in response to a caller who called coach Ken Hinkley a conman, said chairman David Koch was absorbed by his ego and wanted Hinkley sacked.
Tredrea later made the “clarification” that he was not actually saying the caller had made a “good call” but just acknowledged the caller more broadly.
Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
Wilson explained she did not find that explanation believable as the pair traded barbs on FIVEaa on Thursday evening, saying it would have been very easy for Tredrea to reject the caller’s assertions rather than just accepting them.
But Tredrea argued it was “utter nonsense” to suggest the club was divided after his comments.
Read a transcript of the pair’s conversation below.
Caroline Wilson: “I want to open with a question to Warren – are you still on the Port Adelaide board after your comments the other night?”
Warren Tredrea: “Of course I am, Caroline. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be?”
CW: “I was really surprised with your response to that caller, and really surprised that you seemed to be at odds with the head of football Chris Davies, following his observations about the list.”
WT: “No, no, that’s totally incorrect. I’m not at odds. I got played one grab. No, no, I said I don’t entirely agree with everything that was said in the interview, and that doesn’t mean that’s right or wrong. And we’ve spoken privately about some of the stuff we’ve done. And my comment, which disappointed me the most, and the story that was run by you on Footy Classified, was off the back of a ‘good call’ moment. And the ‘good call’ wasn’t an endorsement, it was an acknowledgment of the caller. And I understand the contents of his call, it was one of about 300 we took that night. I got a text message from the CEO-
CW: “Not even a comment, Warren? Not even a comment to say the coach is not a conman?
WT: “I said multiple times, the stuff that we hear vexing their spleen, it’s not for me to control their comments. I’ve been very, very supportive of Ken Hinkley both publicly and privately.
CW: “Warren, I’ve hosted many radio shows. If somebody rings up with an opinion that is unfair or I disagree with I say so, and I think Stephen does too, and I’ve heard you do it as well. I don’t think to say ‘good call’ and leave it at that was enough, given that the bloke was asking for Ken to be removed pretty much immediately.”
WT: “The reality is we had many phone calls of angry people, didn’t we Stephen?”
Stephen Rowe: “Well I think the thing Tredders is a bit peeved off with is clearly your team rang Port, Port tipped him in on it-
WT: “No, no, they actually texted me. It wasn’t an angry phone call I got from Alberton.
CW: “I rang Matthew Richardson.”
WT: “No, I know Caro. But it wasn’t an angry phone call. I got a text message, I called them back and said what’s the problem, they said oh this good call thing, I said OK cool, I’ll come out of the news, explain this wasn’t an endorsement, I acknowledged the caller, and that should’ve been the end of the matter. But it looks as if you then went to air, when I’d already clarified my situation, and you still went to air with a hit job.
CW: “I didn’t buy your clarification.”
WT: “Well, that’s how I clarified it. You chose to look into it how you chose to look into it. Then you say Port Adelaide’s a club divided – that is utter nonsense. There’s been nothing to suggest-
CW: “I really disagree Warren.”
WT: “Well, who’s telling you we’re not divided? That we are divided? Because every discussion I’ve had with the football club has been absolutely supportive of Ken Hinkley, his tenure, the current coaches, the role we’re playing, trying to be better, and then we have this. For me it was just poor. I clarified my comments, you tried to make a mountain out of a molehill, and Port Adelaide wasn’t seething.”
CW: “If I can speak? I made the point on the show, I hadn’t heard your clarification because we recorded before you’d done it, I think you did it out of the next news break. I said you were going to clarify your comments, which was accurately reported. I never said Port Adelaide were seething, I said there was a level of disappointment and I still believe that … and I have been told several times, and we spoke at the Hall of Fame, I know people have been pretty happy with your performance so far but I think after a loss like was seen last week, and the level of disappointment and unhappiness and concern and insecurity that comes as a result of those losses, what your club needed was all hands to the pump. Not just someone saying ‘good call’ at the end of a rant that described the coach as a conman, the president as having an ego that’s going to effect his decisions, and a call for the coach to be removed before the next round. I think it deserved a better response than ‘good call’.”