Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says he never wavered in his belief he would lead the Power into the next AFL season despite on-going speculation about his future.
That might be difficult for some fans to grasp given the rumblings of his tenure that intensified over the past month following four losses, and with the very public warning by David Koch.
The Power chairman added to the uncertainty around Hinkley's position on Monday when he promised to make hard decisions at the end of the season, but he confirmed Hinkley would be at the helm next year in his regular TV spot on the Seven Network on Thursday night.
Koch's guarantee that "Ken Hinkley is contracted and will be our coach in 2023" settled the issue in a public sense, but the man himself insists it wasn't news to him.
"Take me for being a bit silly, but I never had any doubt that I would see out my contract," Hinkley told reporters on Friday.
"I didn't need it to be confirmed because I trust and rely on the people that I work with that are very honest and upfront.
"That's the way that we work so I had confidence that I would certainly be coaching the club in 2023.
"I think there has been plenty of public support from the club over the season ... it got a little bit lost in some conversations this week that certainly made it a little less clear, but it was very clear last night."
Hinkley was referring to comments made by Koch in his regular radio appearance on FIVEaa when he warned the entire football program needed to "Turn things around or watch out" in the final two games of the season.
The clear takeaway from Koch's comments was that everyone's job, including Hinkley's, was on the line at the conclusion of a season that failed to live up to lofty expectations.
Koch was criticised in some quarters for fuelling the flames unnecessarily, but Hinkley didn't have a problem with it.
"David had great intent to talk about our program and where we're at," he said.
"Our expectations of ourselves this year was far above where we are now.
"We'll reflect on our whole program and look to make sure that it's better next year because that's our responsibility.
"I can understand how the headline came out but the reality is that I don't think there was an intent, at all, to cause any problems other than to say 'we're not happy as a footy club with where we sit currently'.
With an 8-12 record with games against Essendon and Adelaide to finish the season, Port will finish with a negative win-loss record for just the second time in Hinkley's 10 years in charge, but the coach remains confident he can engineer a bounce back up the ladder next season.
