Hinkley speaks on Carlton vacancy, as McRae makes big endorsement

Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has not ruled himself out of the vacant Carlton coaching job, but has given a ringing endorsement of another possible candidate for the job, while Collingwood coach Craig McRae says senior assistant Hayden Skipworth is ready to be a coach.

Hinkley told SEN on Wednesday that former Sydney coach John Longmire had all the attributes and experience to deliver the cultural overhaul needed at Carlton, although he acknowledged “everyone’s predicting a first-time coach” would get the job.

“I’d be fascinated if John Longmire wasn’t spoken about really deeply at Carlton because he’s such a good fit for cultural issues and he’s provided that at Sydney,” Hinkley said.

“[He would provide] strong leadership, consistent behaviour, [he] demands high performance and he has consistently led his team to the finals ... he’s got a track record that says he can win, but that [Sydney] is a different list [to Carlton].”

Due to turn 60 at the end of this season, Hinkley is four years older than Longmire.

He hinted that his age would be a factor to consider when weighing up the task of rebuilding Carlton following the departure of his former protege Michael Voss on Tuesday.

“There’s a bit of work to be done on that list now, [speaking] from afar,” Hinkley said.

“My challenge is, I’m a much older person, so at 59 the sense I get is this is a longish build for Carlton.

“Now it’s harder for me to answer because people go straight away, ‘He wants to coach Carlton’ or ‘He doesn’t want to coach Carlton’. I’m not prepared to go black and white and say, ‘This is what I want to ...’ There’s a lot more facts you would need to gather before you would make a decision around who you do and don’t want to coach.”

Skipworth, one of the most respected assistant coaches in the league, is expected to be approached by Carlton.

“His strategy is really good. His people management is really good. The way he owns a room. He’s really well-organised. He’s so curious. He is always bettering himself, constantly looking for a better way. He travels to better himself,” McRae said of Skipworth on Wednesday.

“He’s got a lot of experience now, [but] you’re never fully ready. You could never be fully ready for this job, unless you have done it before ... yeah, I think based on what I see, Skip would be ready.”

Blues chief executive Graham Wright has great insight into Skipworth, 43, from their time together at Collingwood. Skipworth had been one of the leading contenders to replace Adam Simpson at West Coast, but was narrowly beaten to the job by Andrew McQualter.

The former Essendon and Adelaide player also spoke to Melbourne in September last year when the Demons were seeking a replacement for Simon Goodwin, but he withdrew on the eve of formal interviews, opting to remain with the Magpies.

Skipworth has long been viewed as a senior coach in waiting, McRae having publicly praised him for his tactical insights in the 2023 premiership year.

Skipworth ran most of the Magpies’ pre-season campaign last summer when McRae had an extended break.

Hinkley said the Blues, under Voss, seemed incapable of playing “modern football for four quarters”; a nod to the lack of leg speed on Carlton’s playing list, as noted by a long list of football experts.

Hinkley, a best-and-fairest winner at Geelong in 1992, coached Port Adelaide for 13 seasons from 2013-25, amassing 15 finals appearances from 297 games and winning 59 per cent of the matches he was at the helm.

His tenure overlapped with Longmire’s stint as Sydney coach (2011-2024), which netted the 2012 premiership for the Swans and wins from 63 per cent of the 333 games he coached.

Hinkley also nominated Simpson (West Coast 2014-24) and Nathan Buckley (Collingwood 2012-21) – who coached against each other in the 2018 grand final – as other tested coaches the Blues might consider.

However, Hinkley noted there is also a wealth of talented coaches presently working in assistant roles at clubs who are yet to be tried in a senior role but might ultimately have what the Blues are looking for.

Having previously said that he is a career coach presently trying a new profession in the media, Hinkley said anyone with serious coaching ambitions would take the opportunity to speak to the Blues about the vacancy, that will be filled in an interim capacity by Josh Fraser, who was an assistant at the club.

Fraser led the club’s training session at Ikon Park on Wednesday, the day after Voss’ exit from the club.

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