It was appropriate, in a way, that the final kick of the Port Adelaide-St Kilda game, the kick that secured the win for the visitors, which perhaps kept the Power coach, Ken Hinkley, in his job for another week, and which put everyone else out of their misery, was a shank. It had been that sort of game – an error-strewn, low-scoring and instantly forgettable affair. Sometimes footy is sublime. Sometimes it is like watching a Biden-Trump presidential debate.
Hinkley choked back tears afterwards. “It’s been a tough week,” he told Fox Footy. He would have taken the four points any which way. During the game, he had the same look he always does – like a dad watching his kids from the sidelines. Down on the bench he’s not like Western Bulldogs coach, Luke Beveridge, furiously moving his magnets and manipulating the game. Hinkley stands with his hands in his Port Adelaide puffer jacket – a cuddle here, a mild reproach there, a sip from his Pepsi Max, a shake of his head at the abominable skills on offer.
