Malcolm Blight doesn’t think it’s all doom and gloom at Port Adelaide despite their horror 73-152 loss to Brisbane in Round 15.
The 79-point defeat has heaped pressure on coach Ken Hinkley who despite being contracted until the end of the 2025 season was booed by Port fans during the defeat.
As Hinkley has never made a Grand Final despite being at the club since 2013, many think that now is the time for him to depart Alberton, but Blight isn’t joining those calling for his head.
The Power have 32 premiership points to their name with an 8-6 win-loss record – which puts them equal sixth – and with games against St Kilda (at Marvel Stadium), Western Bulldogs (at the Adelaide Oval), Gold Coast (at People First Stadium) and Richmond (at the Adelaide Oval) set for them across the next month, he thinks there’s a real possibility they get to 12-6.
If they do go 4-0 in that stretch, Blight believes that the Power could definitely qualify for finals and even be pushing for top four.
“In their next four they play St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and then Richmond,” Blight, who coached Hinkley at Geelong, said on SEN’s Sportsday SA.
“They could be on 12 wins and even be pushing for the top four (after that stretch).
“After that, it gets a bit harder with Carlton, Sydney and Melbourne (on the run home).
“But they might only need to win four more and that’ll be 12 wins.
“11.5 could get you in for some years, but it might be 12.5 this year which is probably right.”
A lot of the conjecture around Hinkley’s future came from a controversial call on Adelaide’s FIVEaa radio when a caller rang in to speak to part-time host and Port Adelaide board member Warren Tredrea.
The caller went on a rant describing Hinkley as a con artist and delusional while calling for his sacking.
In response, Tredrea simply said, ‘Good call’, which has caused further fractures between himself and the coach.
Blight also responded to that firmly and suggested that the booing that occurred on Saturday wasn’t all that uncommon for AFL coaches.
“But I mean it’s just interesting, one person (comes on the radio with Tredrea) and says something like its fact, and it’s bloody not fact,” Blight said.
“Coaching is a tough old business, and I think reading what Ken said, he said, ‘I know, sometimes they boo’.
“Collingwood booed Leigh Matthews after he had won them a flag, that was after nearly 40 years of no premierships, but they ended up booing him.”
While the pressure will pile on Hinkley if the Power go down to the 14th-placed Saints on Sunday, he wouldn’t be moving the coach on in the immediate aftermath even though some would want the club to do that.
“That would be so hard to answer,” Blight said.
“I think it would be false to do it.”
Sunday’s clash against the Saints begins at 1:10pm (AEST) at Marvel Stadium.