Ken Hinkley has been named the first ever AFL head coach of the Tasmania Devils, a major step forward as the club prepares for its competition debut in 2028.
The appointment was announced this morning by the club, which counts more than 200,000 founding members.
Chair Grant O’Brien said the club ran a thorough process before landing on Hinkley.
“We didn’t set out to find the candidate with the single best win-loss record in this process, we set out to find the right coach for exactly what Tasmania needs right now,” O’Brien said.
“Ken’s ability to build relationships with young players and to build an environment that people want to be part of is exceptional, it is the number one reason we believe he is the right fit for this club.”
Speaking at a press conference, O’Brien pointed to a defining feature of Hinkley’s pitch for the job.
“One of the things that sticks in my mind from Ken’s presentation was the ‘Three C’s’ on the front page of each presentation – character, care and connection,” he said.
“He’s got that in spades and he’ll need it because that’s what we need as a club to launch the Devils properly in 2028.”
O’Brien described Hinkley as “a great connector,” both in bringing together the club’s first playing group and in rallying the state behind the club.
He also framed the challenge in blunt terms.
“It’s a startup after all and you need to be resilient in startups. It can be a roller coaster ride and Ken’s experience over 13 years at Port Adelaide makes him a terrific choice for us,” O’Brien said.
Hinkley said the chance to be the club’s first coach was something he would carry with pride.
“In 100 years’ time, when Tasmania have won so many premierships, at some point there’ll be a revision moment where we look back and go, well, who was the first coach of the footy club? And my name’s going to be there forever,” he said.
Hinkley was clear-eyed about the road ahead, describing the task as a build that would test the club and its supporters across its opening seasons.
“There will be many ups and downs and challenges that lie ahead, including the build of our football department, but I have unique and directly relevant experience to take these on alongside the broader football club,” Hinkley said.
He said the challenges would come in year one, year two and year three, but backed the club’s concessions and opportunities to bring success sooner than expected.
“If we get them right, don’t be surprised. We’ll come pretty quick and we’ll come really hard,” he said.
Hinkley brings direct experience of building a club from scratch, having been an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Suns during the expansion club’s early years before taking charge at Port Adelaide.
He arrives after a 13-year stint in charge of the Power, where he won 174 of his 297 games for a winning record of 58.6%.
He was twice named the AFL Coaches Association Coach of the Year and led Port Adelaide to seven finals campaigns, including a minor premiership in 2020, finishing with the highest winning percentage of any coach in the club’s history.
Before his time at Port Adelaide, Hinkley served as an assistant coach under Mark Thompson at Geelong during their premiership years.
He will begin working with Tasmania’s football department immediately as the club continues to build through its VFL and VFLW programs, with the first intake of 17-year-olds due to join later this year.
The Devils expect to appoint their first AFLW head coach by the end of the year.
