Campbell Brown lets rip at Warren Tredrea after Ken Hinkley call backfires

Port Adelaide great Warren Tredrea has been taken to task by fellow former AFL player Campbell Brown, after Tredrea declared Power coach Ken Hinkley's job was 'untenable'. After a somewhat shaky 1-2 start to the season, including a Showdown loss to Adelaide, serious questions were being raised about Port's direction.

Since their round three loss to the Crows however, the Power have been absolutely on fire, last week toppling the ladder-leading St Kilda in Melbourne to add another victory over a top team to their resume. The Power are only outside the top four based on percentage, improved to 5-2 since their less than convincing start.

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Tredrea had declared Hinkley's job was at risk after the round three loss to the Crows, saying the 10 years he had been head coach was yet to yield a higher level of success. However Brown was quick to throw this back at Tredrea following the Power's strong win over the Saints.

“They are a good enough side to win a final, win two finals,” Brown said on Channel 7 program Armchair Experts. “Warren Tredrea will be sitting back right now, and he should be getting a bar of soap and washing his mouth out.”

Hinkley's position at Port Adelaide, in the short term at the very least, would appear to be assured. Back in April, Tredrea had argued on his podcast that fans were growing tired of the inconsistent performance under Hinkley.

“There is an element of fans disconnect with their board and with their coach and I just look where Ken Hinkley sits,” Tredrea said on his podcast, The Big Deal.

“He has been there for 10 years, he is contracted until the end of the year and for me it looks, albeit (after) Round 3, it just looks untenable where they have Sydney in Sydney and then the Bulldogs at home in Gather Round.

“I’ve butted heads with (Ken Hinkley) in the past ... (It) is nothing personal, it is just performance. I get it is early in the season but he is not going to be there in 2024.

“I can’t see it. If he does, well, then I will be the first to say well done, but right now it just looks untenable.”

Jason Horne-Francis booed again as Power outlast Saints

Meanwhile, high-profile off-season recruit Jason Horne-Francis was once again booed by opposition fans - however this time St Kilda coach Ross Lyon chided Saints supporters for doing so. Just weeks earlier Hinkley had defended the 19-year-old after he was targeted by supporters of several rival clubs following his switch from North Melbourne.

Several players and coaches from a variety of clubs have suggested it was harsh to boo the teenager, particularly since it wasn't clubs like St Kilda, Collingwood or the Western Bulldogs that Horne-Francis had requested a trade away from. Horne-Francis has said he's expecting a somewhat hostile reception from Kangaroos fans, but says he's confused as to why other fanbases are going out of their way to abuse him.

Horne-Francis was outstanding in Port's upset seven-point win over the Saints on Friday night at Marvel Stadium, racking up 11 clearances and 18 contested possessions. Lyon said there was no way any Saints fan booing Horne-Francis would have done so on their own, taking advantage of being in a large crowd to act in an immature way.

"People were doing as a mob that they wouldn't do as individuals. Maybe just check yourself ... there's a lot of mental stress of players," Lyon said.

"If you're doing it to put him off his game ... well, clearly it doesn't work, which is good for the kid, so maybe don't boo him."

Hinkley praised Horne-Francis, saying he showed his power in the hard-fought win. "Play on - we've made our point," he said.

"Jase will grow, he'll be okay. He knows one thing for certain. His footy team is in his corner."

With AAP

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