Arabic version: كين هينكلي يستعد لقيادة تسمانيا ديفلز
According to ABC News, former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley will be formally unveiled as the inaugural coach of the Tasmania Devils on Monday morning. The appointment concludes a year-long search for a senior coach for the AFL’s newest club.
Hinkley is expected to join the Devils on a five-year deal running through to the end of the 2031 season. The 59-year-old travelled to Hobart on Sunday for a final presentation to the club’s coaching selection panel at the Tasman Hotel. The panel included chair Grant O’Brien, chief executive Brendon Gale, football director Alastair Lynch and culture boss Lauren Jauncey.
After the presentation, the decision to sign Hinkley was ratified by the board. John Longmire and Nathan Buckley, who were also candidates for the job, were informed on Sunday that they had been unsuccessful. Buckley had signalled his strong desire to coach the team more than 12 months earlier.
The role will place Hinkley at the centre of building the Devils as an on-field team and as the club’s public face and spokesperson. Tasmania had sought a “people person” for its first coach, with the JackJumpers’ appointment of championship-winning coach Scott Roth cited as inspiration. Hinkley will also face the challenge of uniting Tasmania behind the club, following debate over the estimated $1.13 billion Macquarie Point Stadium in Hobart and concerns that the team is Hobart-centric.
Hinkley coached Port Adelaide across 12 seasons. ABC News reported he won 116 and lost 114 home-and-away matches, for a 59.6 per cent record. In finals, he recorded six wins from 15 appearances, a 40 per cent winning rate, and has not coached a team to a grand final.
