Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley are yet to hold formal discussions surrounding the senior coach's future at the club after noting season-long that all parties will hold off negotiations until this month.
With August arriving on Tuesday, anticipation that an agreement had been reached at Alberton Oval peaked, but no deal has gained momentum across this week.
Hinkley remains hopeful his future remains with the Power, who are likely to offer their long-serving coach a new deal thanks to a dominant 2023 campaign in the final year of his contract.
After missing the top eight last year, Port Adelaide currently sit in second place with a month left in the season, however the improved campaign hasn't accelerated contract talks between Hinkley and chairman David Koch any further.
On Thursday, Hinkley addressed recent rumours that suggested he had already locked in his future, noting the only certainty in the saga is his desire to remain in the hot seat for 2024 and beyond.
"We haven't got any news," Hinkley said. "The club and myself will have those discussions and move in a direction which way they take us.
"From my personal point of view, I would love to stay at Port Adelaide, that's my optimistic view. That will be discussed throughout August.
"Not all rumours in football are true. I don't know how many I've read or seen this year. I think at Round 3 or 4 I was definitely sacked, I was gone and I wasn't going to be here and that someone else was going to be coaching. They've proven not to be true.
"These rumours around me being re-signed or not re-signed, I can guarantee they're not true. I haven't signed a thing.
"The only certainty is I would love to be here. They haven't officially stated in a formal way.
"I wasn't (in a rush) in February and I'm not now."
While Hinkley remains laidback amid his uncertain future, the Power coach has admitted the group as a whole is feeling the pressure to snap a three-game losing run.
Defeats to Collingwood, Carlton and Adelaide have left the South Australian club susceptible to falling as low as fourth by the end of this weekend if they lose to Geelong on Saturday night.
Hinkley said the club is needing to return to the form that has given them the platform to be within reaching distance of a home final, but more efforts like the Showdown will be costly in their premiership pursuit of a second AFL premiership.
"We are feeling the pressure. We feel that pressure because we need to play well,"ย Hinkley said.
"Our season is not in jeopardy. It is about our need to get back to our best. In the Showdown, we were beaten badly. We were really disappointed with that performance. The week before we played a super game of football. We are not that far away from that type of form, but we need to produce it.
"It is not one part of our game that has been a little bit off, it has been two or three parts of our game - we have not been able to defend the ground as well as we had in the first 15-16 weeks of the season. That has let us down a little bit.
"We have also have not been as good with the ball in hand. It is never as simple as one thing. It is a connection within the team that is not quite at its best."
The Power will welcome back captain Tom Jonas for the trip to GMHBA Stadium, with defensive pair Aliir Aliir and Lachie Jones both ruled out with concussion following a collision last week.
Small forward Willie Rioli is available after serving a one-game suspension for striking, while veteran Travis Boak has been confirmed to play against the Cats but could retain the tactical sub role.
Ruckman Scott Lycett remains a test as he continues to battle a knee injury.
The Power face Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday at 7:25pm (AEST).
