Eddie McGuire has called upon both Port Adelaide and Adelaide to explore the option of bringing in former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.
It comes after the Power’s dismal 79-point loss at the hands of Brisbane in round 15.
Hinkley was booed by Port fans when he was flashed up on the big screen at Adelaide Oval, then again when he briefly appeared on the ground as he walked through to the changerooms at the end of the match.
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It has sparked conversations around his likely replacement, who could come into the role a year early, if the club chooses to part ways with Hinkley before the end of his contract in 2025.
The Power has hinted that assistant coach and 2004 premiership player Josh Carr will be the man they turn to when Hinkley’s time is up.
But now, McGuire is urging the Power and even the Crows to look beyond their four walls at one of the highest profiles in the league.
“I’m a supporter of Ken’s and I’m a supporter of Matthew Nicks at Adelaide,” McGuire said on Nine’s Eddie and Jimmy Podcast.
“But there is to me, a real stand out person, not doing much in footy at the moment, who would maybe lift the tone and the spotlight in South Australia.
“He might have been one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His name is Nathan Buckley.”
Buckley coached Collingwood from 2012 to 2021, when he was axed mid season.
He led the Pies to a grand final in 2018.
But it’s not just his past coaching tenure that has McGuire keen on his resurgence into the game.
“I look at a marketing side of things. First of all, you’ve got to be able to coach, but you also need a presence,” McGuire said.
“Adelaide for such a big side, just seems to have no presence.”
Buckley could reinvent the culture of football in the city of churches, according to McGuire.
“The trick is to pick people who you know who can actually coach and have got the personality to lead people and the right support around them,” he said.
Buckley has been linked to the AFL’s 19th side, Tasmania, who won’t enter the league until 2028.
The former Pies coach has not denied that he has been approached by the club to eventually become their senior coach.
But that’s still a handful of years away, with McGuire keen to have him take over Port Adelaide in the short term, as they still push for finals.
“I think if Bucks is going to coach, I’d like to see him come back a bit sooner, rather than wait for Tasmania or something like that,” he said.
“That will put him a long time out (of coaching), not even being an assistant coach.”
The Tasmania Devils will join the AFL in 2028.
Meantime, Port Adelaide sit in eighth with an 8-6 record, while Adelaide is in 15th, with a 4-9-1 record.