- Port Adelaide chairman David Koch was brimming with confidence
- Pointed out pre-match Power’s ominous record of eight straight wins
- Declared ‘Obama was US president’ when Swans last beat Power in 2016
- Ended up with egg on his face, Swans won AFL preliminary final by 36 points
Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has been left red-faced following his club’s preliminary final defeat on Friday against the Sydney Swans.
Speaking pre-game, the retired TV identity declared he was ‘quietly confident’ ahead of the clash at the SCG.
‘The Swans are a quality team, but we’ve got a good track record against them,’ he said with a clear air of confidence.
‘Eight [wins] in a row. The last time the Swans beat us, [Barack] Obama was president of the United States.’
Come fulltime, Koch was licking his wounds, with John Longmire’s team cruising to a 36-point victory.
The minor premiers, who earned a standing ovation from the 44,053-strong crowd, will play the winners of Saturday’s Geelong-Brisbane preliminary final in the decider at the MCG on September 28.
Crucially, it was the first time the Bloods have defeated the Power since 2016 and comes after their round-21 drubbing at Adelaide Oval.
Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has been left red-faced following their preliminary final defeat on Friday against the Sydney Swans
Koch pointed out the Power had won their last eight games against the Swans – and the last time Sydney were triumphant, ‘Obama was president of the United States’ (pictured right, dejected Port player Allir Aliir)
Post game, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley was left to pick up the pieces following another September choke (pictured left, a shattered Ollie Wines)
Harry Cunningham of the Swans and Isaac Heeney (right) celebrate together at fulltime
‘It’s a great spot to be in. It’s what you work for,’ Longmire said in the press conference.
‘We executed as good as we could have. Our method was really good.
‘We were strong in the contest. We concentrated on our process and lived in the moment and got the job done.’
In contrast, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley was left to pick up the pieces following yet another September choke.
Hinkley now holds the unwanted record as the VFL/AFL coach with the most games coached without reaching a grand final, having also tasted disappointment in three previous preliminary final losses in 2014, 2020 and 2021.
He is contracted until the end of 2025.
‘They deserved the win. They deserve to play next week,’ Hinkley said.
‘We’ll accept that they were the best team in the competition and finished on top of the ladder for a reason.
‘We knew we were going to have to be absolutely at our best and we just weren’t capable of going with them.’
