Port Adelaide sent off a group of club champions in the perfect way on Friday night, storming past Gold Coast in the second half to secure a thrilling four-point win at Adelaide Oval.
It was a fitting end to the brilliant playing career of Travis Boak and coaching tenure of Ken Hinkley, who have given so much to the football club in their 19-season and 12-season chapters respectively.
Hinkley reflected on his career post-game, and the emotions of his final senior coaching moment at the Power once the final siren sounded.
"I could not be more proud of our footy club, my players... my legends, everything," Hinkley said.
"I didn't think we had any chance. I can say that now. I'm sitting there going, 'I've got six first-years in this team, a warrior old fella who's crippled going around, got a young kid playing at full back on [Ben] King, got [Aliir] Aliir who's got a rolled ankle and a busted medial ligament hanging on, and we won.
"Against a team who is going to be good, very, very good and play Finals. I couldn't be more proud of the team."
Hinkley has been a polarising figure in the AFL world since beginning his tenure with the Power, often scrutinised by his own fan base for the club's shortcomings in September, which has included targeted vandalism at the club's facilities in Alberton.
Regardless of these acts, Hinkley spoke about his love for the Power fans and how special they made his final game, despite Port Adelaide being well out of Finals contention.
"There's 41 thousand people here at a game when we've been out of the Finals for about eight weeks," Hinkley said.
"Fans wanted to turn up and do the right thing for Travis, for other people who are at the end of their careers at Port Adelaide.
"99% of the Port Adelaide crowd are amazing. There's a couple out there I'd like to say goodbye to."
Hinkley was quizzed about his future in the AFL landscape, coaching or otherwise, but admitted he needed time away to think about what the next chapter of his career may look like. Notably, recently departed senior coaches John Longmire and Adam Simpson have turned down returns to the coaching foray, despite their respective success at Sydney and West Coast being an enticing pull for the Melbourne Demons head coach opening.
"I didn't really get to think about it being the last coaching game until the siren went and then it dawned that that's it, it's all over," Hinkley said.
"I need a spell; I need to have a rest. In two or three weeks I can start to think a bit clearer, but right now how can I think about anything else?"
"I'm in love with the Port Adelaide footy club... That's not easy to walk away from.
"I need a bit of time to let the dust settle and find out whether I've still got the competitive edge to want to compete. Going against Port Adelaide doesn't seem anywhere near right."
Hinkley will leave the AFL scene as the winningest coach to never make a Grand Final, a small mark on an otherwise brilliant resume of 174 career wins from 298 games.
Port Adelaide assistant coach Josh Carr will take the senior coaching reigns for 2026 and beyond, completing the Power's succession plan that was revealed prior to the 2025 season.
