In 2013 Michael McGuire wrote in the Advertiser that recruiting David Koch had “paid dividends” for Port Adelaide. In 2016 The Australian ran an article titled “David Koch saved Port Adelaide from death”. And from a purely financial perspective it is hard to argue that they are not right. Some may say that the hard work that set the scene for Port’s financial revival was done prior to Koch coming on the scene. Tim Ginever and George Fiacchi engineered the One Club merger in 2010, Chairman Brett Duncanson and CEO Mark Haysman helped the club move to Adelaide Oval beginning with a one off game in 2011 and the AFL finally won the war with the SANFL (which had played no small part in Port Adelaide’s match day model and financial constraints) to gain control of the two SA teams licenses. Koch took over at a very fortuitous time.
“Brett and Mark were in the trenches from the start — they knew we had to change in SA football; they knew we had to go to Adelaide Oval,” Koch said.
Crows chairman Chapman added: “We can now live 100 per cent to an AFL agenda. Before (under SANFL control) we had to serve two masters. Before there were compromises — and we (as AFL clubs) were often caught in the middle.
Nevertheless much has been done to build on those changed conditions and secure the clubs long term future. Several rounds of redevelopment have been funded and completed at Alberton, with several more to come. This not only builds the club’s asset base but also adds important diversified revenue streams. The bold push into China saw several important sponsors come on board that added some black to the books. And prudent fiscal management has seen the club’s significant debt reduced to the point they will likely be debt free (or very close to) in the next 12 months. The importance of this financial management to secure the future of The Port Adelaide Football Club cannot be underestimated. Without it there may not be a PAFC in any form to chase success for future generations.
The question remains though, which Port Adelaide did he save? Is it the Port Adelaide Football Club, the most successful football club in Australia. The bold, ruthless, successful club that would leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of the ultimate success? Or is it port adelaide (lower case intended), a club happy to exist by name only, focused on “stability”, providing a stable financial product for its overlords the AFL, “creating good humans” and “making the community proud” over premiership success? Has the focus on saving the club and the conservative decision making it required been hung onto for too long? Has the focus on saving the club created a club satisfied with mediocre survival rather than driven for the ultimate success? And has “saving the club” made those at the top (who have been there a long time) too comfortable?
Many Port fans worry that the lack of accountability at the top for their 18 year stint without a grand final, and especially the last 13 years under the current regime, will eventually filter down through the whole club. They worry that the survival mentality and the navel gazing back to the events of 2011 and 2012 have led to a club that is focussed on the challenges, not the possibilities. They worry that the conservative people who “saved the club” may not be the same ones required to return it to its ruthlessly accountable best. They worry that the bomb shelter mentality, constantly seeking stability, constantly hiring from within, may not be able to compete with best practice AFL clubs who are seeking the best available at all times, regardless of their point of origin. It is a stark contrast to the old Port Adelaide where greats on and off the field like Fos Williams, Bob McLean and Russel Johnston were recruited from outside of the 4 walls at Alberton.
Many members will hope that the transition to new coach Josh Carr will bring a breath of fresh air and a new attitude of ruthlessness that Josh displayed so admirably in the black, white and teal. Especially after a disastrous start to the 2025 season against Collingwood. Others wonder whether a coach alone can arrest a feeling of malaise that spreads across a whole club from the Power, to the Magpies, to the administration. Can a coach really make a difference when the direction from the top is so stale and conservative?
Some might wonder what would have happened if the AFL had not blocked Brian “Bucky” Cunningham from becoming chairman, instead pushing for the more malleable Koch. Would they have perhaps had the best of both worlds?
Regardless, the question now is what should happen to the Port Adelaide leadership? Can the likes of Koch, Cardone, Davies and Richardson change their spots? Can they pivot from conservative survival to ruthless pursuit of success? Or are decisions like the one to retain Ken Hinkley in 2025 signs that they need to be replaced?
If they do need to be replaced then who is available to fill those roles, especially the chairperson who will give the ultimate direction to the whole club? Is it Warren Tredrea or Darren Cahill? Two winners who know exactly how Port Adelaide ticked when it was the top dog. Or is there another figure waiting in the wings?
And how can the members drive the change that needs to be made and remind the club of why it exists, to win premierships? Or is this the port adelaide we have saved? Welded to stable conservatism, existing to exist for the profit of the AFL, without ever really becoming great again? With the current AFL stranglehold on the clubs board changing this one is going to be a difficult task, even once the club does become debt free.
David Koch saved the Port Adelaide Football Club, the question is, is the Port Adelaide he saved “worth its salt”?
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