Georgie Parker: In defence of Ken Hinkley after his James Sicily sledge

AFL fans have short-term memory loss ... or at least are just very selective with what they want to remember.

We set a standard for them that doesn’t seem to apply to others.

Ken Hinkley’s post-match behaviour after Port’s win was perhaps in poor taste, but when you put it into the narrative of the week, it was understandable. He was a man with under extreme pressure coaching for his job.

Media commentators — mostly former Hawthorn players — plus Hawks supporters and coach Sam Mitchell were all very quick to say Ken was in the wrong and he was duly trolled on social media.

While watching this unfold as a neutral supporter it appeared there were plenty of rocks being thrown in glass houses.

Mitchell obviously forgot his awful drug taunt to Essendon players when he gestured injecting a syringe in 2015 three years after the Bombers peptide scandal.

And the Hawks supporters are the same ones who continually defend Alastair Clarkson — a coach has been fined time and time again for the way he lashes out at players, fans and journalists?

I am positive if Hinkley had his time again he wouldn’t have said anything to Jack Ginnivan. Not because what he said was wrong, but because of how it will now dominate the coverage of the lead-up to Port’s preliminary final against the Swans on Friday.

He knows he’s now opened himself up for it to be thrown back in is face next week if they lose, and again fall agonisingly short of a grand final.

What he did wasn’t wrong, it wasn’t aggressive and it wasn’t offensive — a far cry from Clarkson’s homophobic insult towards St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster after his horror hit on Jy Simpkin in the preseason.

The message here is to stop having double standards.

We are urging players and coaches to show expression, like both Ginnivan and Hinkley have, but we are only seemingly wanting them to do it in our club’s colours.

Last year Ginnivan was a Flagpie hero, a year later Collingwood supporters have been quick to turn on their former star.

When he celebrates the way he does it’s fun and exciting if you are a Hawks supporter but but it’s arrogant and showy if you are a rival fan.

We want coaches to not be robots and stand up for their team, so when one does it for your team it’s passionate and fair but when another club’s coach does it, it’s unsportsmanlike and pathetic.

For me, this issue isn’t whether or not what Ginnivan or Hinkley did was right or wrong. That’s for you to decide.

But my message is to quit with the double standards.

There should not be one standard for your coach or players and another for a rival, because that coach or player might be at your club one day, and you’ll have egg on your face if they fall foul of your double standard.