I have time to turn Port from good to great: Ken's oath

"I'm really pleased with the way the club have handled everything in that situation and the outcomes for us as a club and for Josh," Hinkley told AAP.

"It's a really exciting time for our footy club.

"There will be those who say it can't work and won't work and they'll go by what happens throughout the season.

"The reality is, it has been well organised, well executed and well supported by everyone. And I can't be more pleased than that.

"To be honest, I haven't felt any different about working and doing what I do."

Hinkley is Port's longest-serving AFL coach; has reached finals in seven of his dozen completed seasons; boasts a winning percentage of 60.22, the third-best of any current coach.

The 58-year-old also holds the AFL record of most games coached without a grand final appearance - his 274 matches include four preliminary final defeats, most recently to Sydney last year.

"It's not a record I'm chasing and it's not one I'm trying to hang on to - and I'm running out of time," Hinkley said.

"Now, if you're going to be judged upon that and that alone, which is what the football industry does to you, small margins make a big difference.

"We've seen prelim finals where we've been beaten badly. But we have also seen prelim finals where we've lost by a kick - small, small margins.

"Both times we lost by small, small margins the team went on and won the flag convincingly.

"Were we not worthy enough to play them in the grand final because they beat us by a kick in prelim finals? You can't even talk about that.

"You get what you deserve and for us, so far, we haven't deserved the right to play off in a grand final.

"We've worked bloody hard to get really, really close. And the deserving gods have been hard to please sometimes."

But Hinkley has carried "an enormous amount of pride with the way we turn up each year".

"You've got to be in the fight first. And every year we give ourselves a chance in the fight," he said.

"We're a really good footy club. We're not a great footy club because, ultimately, great footy clubs are measured on premierships and we haven't been able to win or participate in a grand final in my time.

"But we're a very, very, very good footy club."

Hinkley's last quest for greatness at Port won't include spearhead Charlie Dixon (retired) and dual All Australian halfback Dan Houston who, despite being contracted, departed for Collingwood.

And tall forward Todd Marshall is unlikely to play much, if at all, after rupturing an achilles tendon in January.

Hinkley's revamped attack will feature prized recruit Jack Lukosius - the No.2 pick at the 2018 draft arrives after 116 games at Gold Coast.

"He moves well, he kicks the ball well, he's got good running power for a tall ... he's a super-intelligent player," Hinkley said of the 24-year-old.

"We think the progression for him is pretty high."

Port also snared Victorian Joe Berry after some manoeuvring at last year's draft, using pick 15 on the highly-rated goalsneak.

Another small-sized attacker, 25-year-old Joe Richards, joined Port after just nine AFL games in two seasons with Collingwood.

The newcomers bolster a forward line being built around marking target Mitch Georgiades, Lukosius, crafty Willie Rioli and leadership group member Sam Powell-Pepper, who returns after a 2024 wrecked by a knee reconstruction.

"We feel like we've got enough players that can cover that (forward) space ... there's some unknown about us a little bit, but that's in-house as well as outside," Hinkley said.

Port again boast a vaunted midfield despite dual All Australian Zak Butters missing at least the first month after knee surgery.

The 24-year-old Butters, 25-year-old captain Connor Rozee and 21-year-old Jason Horne-Francis are hitting their prime in an on-ball division including quiet achiever Willem Drew, 2021 Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines and 371-gamer Travis Boak.

"We don't want for too much through our midfield mix," Hinkley said.

"We have got a good blend: some good calmness, some good experience, we've got some excitement - and we've got some learning to still do."

And Hinkley's defence has traditionally been stingy despite a lack of big names and bigger bodies.

"We're lucky we have got what we call hybrid defenders who are medium talls and they can be smalls if need to be - the 188cm to 190cm type players," he said.

But Hinkley queried pundits predicting the Power to play faster football.

"It's pretty hard working and pretty daring football," he said of Port's style.

"That will be no different, even though I've seen and heard the commentary that we're going to play faster.

"We're one of the faster playing teams in the comp anyhow, so I'm not sure that's accurate."

What's also not accurate is that Hinkley will listen to any offers from rival clubs during the season.

"I have no interest in thinking about anything other than Port Adelaide," he said.

"It would be unfair to my players to do anything other than give them my full self, which I've always done and I'll continue to do that until my time at Port Adelaide is over.

"I don't know what is next in my life, let alone my football life."