Hinkley makes his move in coaching race

Ken Hinkley arrived in Hobart to present to the Tasmania Devils coaching selection panel on Sunday as part of the club’s rigorous selection process.

The former Port Adelaide coach has been a target of the Devils for the past few months and was told he would be the final person to make a presentation.

The coaching selection has also panel met with Geelong assistant and former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and former Sydney Swans’ coach John Longmire recently.

Two competition sources, speaking anonymously because the process is confidential, confirmed the 59-year-old Hinkley was in Tasmania on Sunday to discuss the job.

Hinkley’s management and the Devils were contacted for comment.

The Tasmania job is one of three live coaching processes, with Carlton narrowing down the field to replace Michael Voss and Essendon searching for Brad Scott’s replacement. 

The Devils’ selection panel’s catch-up with Buckley and Longmire was informal and part of ongoing discussions with a range of football industry people as they search for an experienced coach to build the foundations for a new team.

Longmire said he had as many questions as answers for the selection panel while Buckley refused to elaborate on the conversations he had with the panel when they met a fortnight ago.

Hinkley finished up as Port Adelaide coach at the end of last season after 13 seasons at the helm where the club competed in four preliminary finals and seven finals series.

He is regarded as an excellent manager of people and has been identified as a perfect person to create a down-to-earth, hard-working football club culture as well as connect with the Tasmanian community as the club establishes itself as Tasmania’s team.

He also has an exceptional ability to attract players to join his club and was at the Gold Coast Suns as a senior assistant coach during their start-up years. He played a big role in Gary Ablett’s decision to join the Suns.

He also has a strong relationship with several senior coaches throughout the competition including dual premiership coach Chris Fagan, who is Tasmanian.

The board would need to approve any recommendation from the selection panel which includes president Grant O’Brien, chief executive Brendon Gale, football director Alastair Lynch and strategy, people and culture manager Lauren Jauncey.

The club has been adamant they had not yet decided on their coach and although an appointment is expected to be made earlier, they have given themselves until the end of the season to make the call.

Gale said at a media briefing session on Friday that the Devils would be likely to offer any new coach a long-term deal of potentially five years as the club knows the heavy lifting that will be necessary to get the team on track in their early years. He also understands the importance of knowing the coach when making pitches to potential recruits.

Hinkley, who has worked with Fox Footy and SEN in 2026, has remained tight-lipped throughout the process.

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