Why Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley doesn’t fear for his future despite three-game losing streak – ‘if it was too fatiguing, I wouldn’t be here’

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has said he will endure intense criticism from footy fans as he looks to revive his team’s stuttering AFL campaign.

Hinkley admitted the constant scrutiny of his future is uncomfortable, but insists his voice still resonates with the Power playing group.

“I was brought up as a fighter,” he told reporters ahead of Sunday’s match against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.

“And that’s what I’ll do.”

Hinkley subsequently dismissed any talk of burnout in his twelfth season at the helm, believing the reasons for the current slump lay deeper.

“If it was too tiring, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “It’s okay. I’ll deal with it. [criticism]. I know it’s part of the territory.

“The reality is that I understand that the time I’m here, the pressure will continue to come my way if we fall off in any way.

“Is that right or wrong? It’s not for me to judge.”

Hinkley admitted the constant scrutiny of his future is not pleasant, but insisted his voice still resonates with the Power group of players who have lost three games on the rebound.

Hinkley’s combative words follow Port’s modest 79-point loss to Brisbane in the previous start and a three-match losing streak.

“It’s fair and reasonable to talk about it,” he said. “But it’s not a one-man show.

‘But yes, I get that the attention is on me as head coach and I accept and deal with that responsibility.’

But despite the recent gloom, Hinkley’s team sit in ninth place, two wins shy of second-placed Carlton.

“It’s hard because everyone is talking around the noise from outside,” Hinkley said.

‘And we do our utmost to block that, sometimes it’s almost impossible to block it completely.

“We’re very calm about what we need to do.”