“Hinkley will be laser-focused”: Why Buckley disagrees with Cornes on Power succession plan

Nathan Buckley is intrigued with how Port Adelaide handles their succession plan between Ken Hinkley and Josh Carr this season.

The Power announced the plan on Wednesday with current assistant Carr to step into the top job in 2026 after Hinkley’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 season.

Buckley, who was involved in perhaps the most famous succession plan in AFL history after taking over from Mick Malthouse at the end of the 2011 season one year after he led the Magpies to a premiership, thinks that the automatic perception of such plans is viewed negatively by fans and the media alike.

“There's so much negativity around succession plans, and I think it's because there's a lot of unanswered questions about them and whether they've been effective or not,” Buckley told SEN Mornings.

“Things like, whether Josh Carr's the right guy? What does it mean for Ken Hinkley?  How can you coach when you know that you put an end date on your coaching tenure?

“What do the players think and the leaders think, how do they handle the situation with the incumbent in place and how they operate in the football program?

“So, there's a lot of unknowns and when there's unknowns externally, I think we generally go to the negative and what could fail rather than what could work.”

While Buckley concedes that there are plenty of questions lingering over the club and its plan, he’s fairly confident that the handover can be a success if Hinkley enters the season with an open mind and on board with the plan.

“I think the first thing is to is to make sure that ego is removed and what's best for the football club is the first thing,” Buckley said.

“That's probably the first discussion point around any succession plan, in this instance, it’s Hinkley and Carr and how well they operate together. They have obviously been in the same space for a period of time and perhaps they’ve potentially had this idea in place for a lot longer than the public realise.

“But it's primarily on Ken Hinkley and his attitude towards it, I think. The success or otherwise lives or dies with his ability to understand and I suppose be grateful for his time at the club.”

Although some including Power great Kane Cornes believe that the decision shows that the club is now no chance to win the flag in 2025 as they’re already looking ahead to 2026, Buckley takes the opposite view as he feels an end date on Hinkley’s tenure could light a fuse under the veteran coach.

“I look at it the other way. I've heard that Port can't win the premiership if you're thinking about beyond this year,” Buckley said.

“But I think Ken Hinkley will be absolutely laser-focused on getting the most out of this year. He wants to go out with a bang.

“So, in many ways, it sort of can light a fuse that can actually help Port in the short term as well as setting up some structure and stability for the long term.”

Listen to Buckley’s full chat on the succession plan with Sam Edmund below.