Why Hinkley would coach Essendon over Carlton

Carlton and Essendon. Two of football's most storied clubs, stuck in the midst of dreadful mediocrity.

But which is better placed to return to its former glory?

The Blues have endured much greater success in recent history, falling just 16 points short of a Grand Final appearance in 2023.

In saying that, Carlton's admirable charge in 2023 marked their only finals wins in a decade, last finding September success in 2013 - after taking the Bombers' spot in the eight courtesy of the supplement scandal.

Despite remaining competitive, the Blues have - outside of 2023 and the beginning of season 2024 - never truly remained a premiership threat.

As former Port Adelaide head coach Ken Hinkley explains, the club's continued desire to compete under his former Power assistant Michael Voss left the Blues in no man's land for too long.

“It’s a part of the game,” Hinkley told SEN Sportsday.

“You get caught in that ‘death zone’ as we call it, where you’re often around somewhere in the top nine or 10, and you never quite get to the bottom to get the big picks.

“I applaud them for going after (Jagga) Smith, and the way they got to him. They pushed themselves up the draft board.

“I said last week, drafting gets you great players inside five. They rarely get them wrong these days – there have been plenty that can be wrong, but right now, they really get the top five wrong.

“They’ve got (Cody) Walker (father-son, 2026 draft), they’ve got (Harry) Dean and they’ve got Smith in what will be the last two years after the end of this year. They’ve got to bring in some young players.

“There has to have been some cultural stuff – Michael mentioned that himself in his best and fairest speech, around culturally defeating themselves.

“Maybe you’ve got to wipe the floor a little bit and go a bit harder than you have in the past. To get back up, you might have to step back down, and that just might be the reality of building your football club.

“You run out of time, Tassie are coming, there’s not going to be many more opportunities as far as list builds. There are clubs lining up to try to get in the draft.”

As for Essendon, it's been a long and treacherous road since the turn of the century.

Incredibly, the highlight of this century occured at it's earliest possible stage, with the Bombers claiming premiership glory in 2000 under the great Kevin Sheedy.

After an elimination final win over Melbourne in 2004, the Dons have failed to win a game in September - the longest finals drought in the AFL.

Continued failures have seen the Bombers, currently under Brad Scott, in and around the bottom four for years on end, however, talent acquisition via the draft has been far from a strength.

Current day sees both sleeping giants under the microscope once more, as 2026 threatens to be yet another dire season for both Carlton and Essendon.

And with both coaches under real threat, Sportsday co-host Gerard Healy delivered a would-you-rather to his co-host.

“Ken, if you were given one choice and two clubs, who would you take? Five-year deal; Carlton, or Essendon?”

“It’s a really difficult question, because lots of things change,” Hinkey said.

“As soon as I say one or another, someone will link me and say I’m going to coach Essendon or I’m going to coach Carlton!

“I’ll give you my opinion: I’d take Essendon. I think their youth… they’ve gone through the youth, they’ve got five or six picks in.

“Carlton have got some really good stuff coming, but just on face value… I honestly think both clubs are a fair way away. That’s what I think.”