'What a slow goodbye looks like': Ken Hinkley under fire after 91-point thrashing against Collingwood

Ken Hinkley's final year as Port Adelaide coach got off to a rough start on Saturday, with his side belted by 91 points against Collingwood.

The dismal performance from the Power comes as Hinkley enters the final year of his tenure before Josh Carr takes over for the 2026 season and beyond.

Now, the alarm bells have started ringing and Hinkley knows his team were "off the pace" against a more hardened Collingwood outfit.

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"It was real disappointing," he said.

"We didn't perform anywhere near where we've been performing in the pre-season.

"Collingwood beat us the way they've beat us in the past, they were too physical around the contest and they were able to hurt us badly on turnover.

"We looked like the team who didn't play last week and they looked like a team who had played and got a reminder – we were miles off the pace."

While the Magpies had a game under their belt from Opening Round - a game they were belted by GWS - the 136-45 result is a major worry for Port.

Hinkley's comments were also put under the microscope, with Richmond great Jack Riewoldt questioning the coach's post-match press conference.

"It was icy early ... he was onto the journos straight away," Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.

"What do you make of the Opening Round narrative? I don't buy that.

"91 points is 91 points and sort of suggesting the fact Collingwood were a bit more hardened because they'd been smacked up by the Giants is not something that I think peddling is a good idea for Port Adelaide."

While the panic button won't be hit just yet for the Power, the nature of the defeat will only place pressure on Hinkley to deliver in his final season.

AFL great David King admitted there would be "some confusion" throughout the club.

"This is what the slow goodbye does look like," he said.

"It does create some confusion. It's hard to know how it gets into your football club or how it gets into your playing group. Sometimes in your subconscious you think everything is fine. You don't notice you're at 99 per cent, not 100.

"If you're just short of the mark at AFL level these days you get whacked between the eyes. You make a decision, you whack the band-aid off, you move on."

The other decision that was scrutinised in the wake of the loss was Port Adelaide trading Dan Houston to the Magpies.

Kane Cornes was quick to call out the recruitment and retention blunder.

"Bad ideas 101: Trading a contracted Dan Houston for a bag of potato crisps," he said via X during the clash.

Port will look to bounce back against Richmond in round two, while the resurgent Collingwood take on the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.