Miles Bergman admits he “never thought we’d see the day” Ken Hinkley would make a permanent move to the interchange bench, but is loving the change along with his teammates.
Port Adelaide continued its impressive winning form at Marvel Stadium and against St Kilda on Friday night, defeating its top-of-the-table opponents by seven points.
Hinkley has spent much of the 2023 season coaching from the interchange bench and, despite the side’s 1-2 start to the season, helped the Power storm to 5-2 despite some difficult opposition in the opening weeks.
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Bergman, 21, told foxfooty.com.au he and his teammates had adapted quickly to Hinkley’s move.
“I never thought we’d see the day, but it’s good to have him and we all love it,” he said after the win.
“We feel more connected, you can get more good chats with him and all the players just feel a lot better on the bench, connected to the field.
“It’s hard to pinpoint a specific thing, but just the fact we can see his face instead of having to be on the phone to him or on the phone to other coaches. You see his actual face, as soon as we come off he’s there. I think him being there makes him feel more positive to us and constructive rather than what else he’d do in the box.
“I think we’re all pretty happy with it so hopefully it does keep going.”
The impact of Hinkley’s move to the bench was noted by former captain Travis Boak the night prior to Bergman’s comments on AFL 360 Plus.
It was, Boak said, a testament to Hinkley’s ability to adapt in what was now his 11th year at the helm of the club.
“He’s developed and changed and grown certainly as a person and as a coach over the years … he’s just understood what the group needs and where he’s needed to change and where he’s needed to develop,” he said.
Port Adelaide Press Conference | 05:20
“He’s definitely facing challenges at times, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s continued to go about his business and do what he loves best and that’s coaching this side, making really good connections with his group.
“We’ve even seen a development with him this year coming to the bench and I think that’s been great for our group. They all get along with him so well and our connection with him is great.
“I think we’ve seen some of the vision of Ken with his players, talking really closely, they just love him.”
Hinkley himself explained the reasoning behind his move when speaking to Kath Loughnan on Fox Footy before Friday’s match.
“At the moment it seems to be the calmness you can provide I think,” he said.
“You see the players come off, they’ve given such effort and such energy that you know sometimes they get down and they get disappointed in what they’re doing and what they’re not quite able to achieve.
“I think, particularly with us with quite a young midfield group, it’s been really important just to allow them to calm down and allow them to go back (on the field) with some belief and go back out there and believe they can actually influence the game.”
