Port Adelaide legend Chad Cornes let go in first big move under new coach Josh Carr

Port Adelaide great and long-time assistant coach Chad Cornes is set to depart the club at the end of the season.

7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary revealed Cornes has been told his contract won’t be renewed after working with departing coach Ken Hinkley for the past 10 years.

It’s the first big move under new incoming coach Josh Carr, who will officially take the reins at the end of the season.

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Cornes enjoyed an outstanding playing career with the Power, playing 239 games at the club before adding another 16 at the Giants where he also spent time as an assistant coach.

As well as playing in the 2004 premiership team, Cornes was a two-time All-Australian and South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Joining the Power in the 1997 AFL draft, Cornes has been a part of the club for over 20 years as a player and coach.

Chad Cornes is set to depart Port Adelaide at the end of the season. Credit: AAP

Chad was the last member of SA football’s famed Cornes family still working at an AFL club. His father Graham was the inaugural Adelaide Crows coach.

Younger brother Kane also played in Port’s ‘04 premiership team and is now one of the AFL’s highest-profile media commentators with Channel 7.

“Chad has been an outstanding servant of our club as a premiership player, as a coach within our program since returning at the end of 2015 and of course as a member of our Hall of Fame,” Port Adelaide general manager of football Chris Davies said.

“Given his tenure at the club we wanted to provide Chad with clarity as early as possible so he has maximum time to consider his future.”

With Port Adelaide needing a miracle to play finals this year, Hinkley likely has seven matches left in his coaching tenure.

He has been in charge since 2013, coaching the club to 172 win from 290 matches.

“With smile and with a bit of opportunity and freedom, to encourage our players to enjoy playing footy and make sure I’m there leading the way as best I possibly can for them,” Hinkley said of his plans for the remainder of the season after last week’s loss to Brisbane,

“I look forward to them having a really strong seven weeks of football and knocking a few teams off.

“Put them (the top teams) under some pressure. And, you know, let them know that when they play Port, you have to bring your best like Brisbane did tonight.”

Meanwhile, Hinkley is still ruing a second night of carnage at the Gabba in four seasons, jokingly suggesting the Brisbane venue should be knocked down immediately.

Power trio Sam Powell-Pepper, Esava Ratugolea and Dante Visentini have been ruled out for the rest of the AFL season after all suffered injuries in Saturday night’s brave loss against reigning premiers Brisbane.

Powell-Pepper requires a reconstruction on his left knee after suffering the same injury to his right knee in Round 8 last year.

Defender Ratugolea will be sidelined by a hamstring tear and young ruckman Visentini by an ankle injury.

In a tight loss against the Lions at the Gabba in 2022, Port also suffered four injuries after leading at three-quarter-time.

“It’s not a great ground, we’re not going back there again,” Hinkley quipped to reporters on Tuesday.

“Can we change that ground?

“When are they going to pull it down and build something there for the Olympics?

“Sooner the better. Sorry, Brisbane.”

AFL games will be played at the Gabba until 2032 before the Lions move to the new stadium at Victoria Park that will host the Brisbane Olympics.

Brisbane have had their own issues at their home ground with star defender Jack Payne recently suffering a season-ending knee injury at the ground.

Forward Linc McCarthy ruptured his ACL for a second time in 12 months at the Gabba earlier this year, this time at training after hurting his knee during a chaotic game against Gold Coast in May 2024.

In Brisbane’s Opening Round match against Carlton last year, Lions defender Keidean Coleman and Blues veteran Sam Docherty both went down with serious knee injuries.

Powell-Pepper underwent surgery on Monday, as the forward aims to play a role in Port’s 2026 campaign.

The loss against the Lions finished Port’s chances of reaching the finals in Hinkley’s last season as coach.

“He’s had his surgery, it’s done,” Hinkley said of Powell-Pepper.

“He’s such a great person, a powerful person. He’ll get after his rehab.

“My message to him was I look forward to see you playing your next game.

“By the start of next season, he won’t be far away, I wouldn’t have thought, from playing football.

“The mentoring stuff will come in the pre-season.

“He does that naturally so it’s not like he needs a new role and show his teammates why it’s going to be good when he gets back.”

Forwards Ollie Lord and Jeremy Finlayson, who are both coming off five-goal hauls in the SANFL, will be considered for recalls against West Coast this Sunday.

“We’ve played five debutants, we’re always exploring our list, but we won’t explore our list at the expense of our best performance,” Hinkley said.

“We’re in the business of still winning football as much as we possibly can until the end of the year.

“The club, the coaches are all on the same page with that.”

- With AAP

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