Ken's men have fallen short of the pinnacle yet again, and as Hinkley himself conceded post-match, it's not purely the fault of the coaches box.
The club's key forward stocks were not influential in Port Adelaide's favour, letting Sydney's undersized defence win all the important contests in their defensive 50 slingshot forward.
Barring Aliir, who was impactful even with Luke Parker on his tail, the key backs were shaky, allowing Joel Amartey and Logan McDonald to compete and play well above the standard they've set in 2024.
The defensive accountability through the midfield was also a concern, just not from a list perspective. Zak Butters, Jason Horne-Francis, Connor Rozee, Willem Drew, and Ollie Wines make up a midfield to be excited about for at least the next half decade.
As long as they fix their susceptibility to be exposed by the offensive firepower of their opposition, particularly with the calibre of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Errol Gulden.
It seems the club will again need to assess the state of their playing group ahead of next season if they're any shot of going a step further under the same coaching system.
10 players are now out of contract, including veteran forward Charlie Dixon, who was admirable last night in spurts, but is clearly incapable of carrying the key forward load for a full game, let alone a full finals campaign or home & away season.
A reliably competitive key forward would have helped in Friday night's loss, not only to reel in a forward 50 mark or two, but at least provide a look for the smalls, who were rendered ineffective by Sydney's key defensive dominance.
Dixon's potential retirement could open up a tall forward spot, where the hope would be to lure in an established rival, rather than await the rise of a youngster or hand the keys to Mitch Georgiades and Todd Marshall, who are not ideal options for a primary target.
Unfortunately star tall forwards are hard to come by in the open market, but with speculation surrounding Max King's future at the Saints and Tom Lynch's future aspirations under limited time, discussions may as well be had.
Jack Lukosius remains one of the only high-profile key forward options up for grabs this off-season. He wouldn't solve their problems but would add some necessary firepower, should he opt to join the rival of where he's said to be going, the Adelaide Crows.
The club don't hold a first-round pick for the upcoming National Draft, however, making a move for a big fish highly unlikely.
Travis Boak is the other ageing veteran with an expired contract. The 36-year-old impressed many this season with his resilience and performance this season, averaging 18 disposals and five marks primarily on the wing.
With 18 years of service to the club, coach Ken Hinkley hinted that the call for Boak to continue his playing career rests on his own decision-making in the aftermath of this season.
A tough call may be made on a few of the 10 expiring contracts, potentially Quinton Narkle and Trent McKenzie who have struggled to become mainstays through injury or performance, especially as potentially incoming Giants Harry Perryman and Isaac Cumming enter the equation.
The biggest call externally will still be whether contracted coach Ken Hinkley continues into his final season, with speculation of his position making headlines all season long, despite having 2025 locked in.
Josh Carr is still waiting in the wings for his chance to lead the Power, and the vacancy out west is still drawing discussions of a fresh start for Ken, who remains a polarising figure for the Port Adelaide fanbase, club Board and wider public.
An even bigger story still revolves around Dan Houston's status however, with a number of mixed messages coming out of the player's camp as to what he wants in 2025.
After publicly declaring his commitment to Port Adelaide following his reported desire to head to Victoria, Houston again looks set to seek a move elsewhere.
The club ultimately wish for Houston to remain in teal, but could use the opportunity to boost their draft hand or target that big fish up forward.
Whatever the case, a riveting off-season trade and draft period awaits!
