James Sicily's confession about Ken Hinkley run-in as AFL responds to Port Adelaide coach

Hawthorn captain James Sicily admits he regrets one key detail about his bizarre post-game run-in with Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley on Friday night. Hinkley's decision to taunt Jack Ginnivan after the Power's tense three-point finals win over the Hawks sparked ugly scenes at Adelaide Oval and saw the veteran coach come under fire across the AFL world, with league bosses reportedly planning to quiz the 57-year-old about the incident.

Hinkley apologised in his post-match press conference after making an aeroplane gesture and yelling out “you’re not flying, Jack”, in reference to Ginnivan's social media post that caused uproar earlier in the week. The 21-year-old faced backlash for a cocky reply to a post from Swans star Brodie Grundy that said: "See u in 14 days", suggesting the Hawks would dispose of the Power on Friday night.

Port's coach described it as a "disrespectful" act from Ginnivan and admitted his side used it as motivation on Friday night as the Power won to set up a blockbuster preliminary final clash with Sydney next week. “I’ll be honest; Jack said what he said during the week, and I just told him after the game he wouldn’t be going anywhere (next week),” Hinkley told Channel Seven in the dressing room. He later admitted he should not have sledged the Hawthorn youngster and inflamed tensions between the teams after the match.

Sicily was clearly not happy that Hinkley had taken a swipe at his teammate after Hawthorn's shattering defeat and could be seen shouting angrily at the Power coach. The incident happened right before a guard of honour for Hawthorn 300-gamer Luke Breust, and Sicily was still mouthing off at Hinkley as he helped chair his teammate off the field - a fact he deeply regrets.

Post-game clash overshadowed Luke Breust's milestone

“The only thing I wish I had my time again with is that the exchange lingered too long and it took the gloss off Punky’s 300th and not being able to be fully present in chairing him off,” Sicily admitted on Saturday about the unsavoury post-match scenes. “We love Jack, we love what he’s brought to our football club.”

Sicily was quick to remind people that Ginnivan is still a very young player and suggested Hinkley was out of line when he spoke to reporters on Saturday before the Hawks boarded a flight back to Melbourne. “I think people forget he’s 21 and a lot of grown men are infatuated with the way he lives his life and sometimes I look at it and feel as though that’s a bit embarrassing," Sicily told AFL reporter Mitch Cleary.

"People are different. We shouldn’t be judgemental. It’s not the first time Ken’s done that and it won’t be the last. It’s an emotional game and sometimes it gets the better of us. To be honest I’m not seeking any apology. It’s a game of footy.” That response came in stark contrast to the reactions of Sicily and his coach after the game, with Sam Mitchell revealing he would "absolutely not" be seeking words with Hinkley after trying to remain calm in his post-match press conference.

AFL reportedly set to discuss ugly incident with Ken Hinkley

It comes after SEN journalist Sam Edmund reported on Saturday that the AFL would be seeking a 'please explain' from Hinkley about his actions. It is highly unusual to see a coach take a swipe at a rival player or engage in a slanging match with members of an opposition team, with Edmund reporting "the AFL will ask a couple of questions of the club in the coming days."

AFL greats Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis both slammed Hinkley's actions as "embarrassing" and in poor form during coverage of the finals clash on Friday night. And Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton also hit out at the veteran mentor on Saturday, suggesting his leadership as a coach left a lot to be desired. “The question is about his inability to control his emotions after a game. Be a humble loser. Be a gracious winner,” Brereton said on SEN.

“I come from a school where I’ve learned from great men — John Kennedy Snr, Allan Jeans, Ron Barassi — and you are gracious in winning. I just thought it was dreadful. And as I say he’s a fantastic bloke, but you cannot lead 40-something men if you behave like this.” Brereton says he doesn't think Hinkley should be sanctioned by the AFL but could cop blowback from Port Adelaide's powerbrokers for his "poor representation" of the club.