Veteran AFL coach Ken Hinkley has become emotional after Port Adelaide’s thrilling two-point win over St Kilda.
Hinkley has been under pressure as his out-of-form Port team has slowly slipped down the ladder in recent weeks.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Ken Hinkley emotional after Port Adelaide beat St Kilda.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
Only last week, Power fans booed Hinkley after the disappointing 79-point loss at home to Brisbane.
In the aftermath, the pressure has dialled up on Hinkley, who has coached Port since 2013 but is yet to win a premiership or take his team to a grand final.
After the nail-biting win, Hinkley was asked how he was feeling, and he could barely get two words out.
“Pretty hard …,” he said, while fighting back tears, his voice sounding full of emotion.
“Been a tough week … great boys, great boys.
“I really like the fact that we were under the pump and we just stuck at it.
“It wasn’t easy, but we got there in the end.”
Port defender Aliir Aliir was mighty in the last quarter as Port hung on to win 8.14 (62) to 8.12 (60).
The Power broke a three-game losing streak to stay in the top eight, while the Saints are mired in the bottom four with a 5-11 record.
Hinkley said during the week there had been so much criticism and negativity that it felt like his team was on the bottom of the ladder.
“We’re two points from fourth (on the ladder) … It felt like we were on the bottom of the ladder and I get why.
“I really appreciate the fact that we had been playing poorly but we’re doing our best to keep it right.”
Hinkley said pressure was part of the job in the AFL.
“You don’t want (the pressure) but I want the job,” he said.
“So I’ve got to put up with that.”
He said he wasn’t frustrated by the media attention but had been flat about how the team had been performing.
“If we hadn’t been playing that badly, we’d have no attention … but this is what the game does,” he said.
Asked if he thought his players had his back, Hinkley was emphatic.
“No doubt, no doubt,” he said.
“They do that regularly for us. They compete really hard. They were led really well, I thought, by their captain (Connor Rozee), and I thought ‘Thatch’ (Brandon Zerk-Thatcher) was amazing.
“But the reality was as a team they stuck together.”
– With AAP
