Ken Hinkley will have one last shot at claiming an elusive AFL premiership with Port Adelaide before handing the coaching reins to Josh Carr at the end of the season.
The Power confirmed the succession plan on Wednesday, with senior assistant Carr to take over from Hinkley on a three-year deal from 2026.
Hinkley, entering his 13th season as coach, holds the unwanted record for most AFL games in charge without reaching a grand final - 274.
The 58-year-old has led Port to seven finals series, including four preliminary finals, and hopes his swan-song will deliver the coveted breakthrough.
"What I get, I'm not sure, but we all know what I want and what we all want," Hinkley said on Wednesday.
"As a whole footy club, we all want the same thing.
"That would be a great story for us all."
Hinkley, who is in the final year of his contract, said his decision to stand down after the 2025 campaign was reached over summer after plenty of thought.
He said he had considered following Sydney's John Longmire and moving on immediately, before ultimately realising he had enough fire in the belly to continue for one more year.
Hinkley admitted the move to step down "doesn't feel great, but it feels right".
Making it public will remove the distraction of speculation about Hinkley's future that has hung over the club in recent years.
"I am still right to do it, I still have the energy to do it, I still have the passion to do it," Hinkley said.
"I think there is still some help that I can give the club and Josh to be 100 per cent ready.
"What I do like is the clarity of this for us and the footy club ... allows us great preparation time.
"It doesn't jeopardise our program, for those who think it will. We have too good of a program with great people that it would have any damage done.
"All it will do is reinforce our commitment."
Carr, a 2004 Power premiership hero, has been earmarked as Hinkley's likely successor since he returned to the club as an assistant at the end of 2022.
He chose not to pursue the Richmond coaching job in 2023, though Port denied he had an agreement at the time to take over from Hinkley.
The 44-year-old will continue as midfield coach this season, with no official changes to match-day duties, before stepping into the hot seat.
Carr, who was first drafted to Port in 1999, will be the Power's fifth full-time senior coach.
"It's an honour and a privilege to be chosen as one of the core leaders of this football club," Carr said.
"I feel like I owe the club a lot."
Carr played 207 AFL games with Port Adelaide and Fremantle, coached North Adelaide to the 2018 SANFL premiership, and was an assistant to Justin Longmuir at the Dockers for three seasons.
Power chairman David Koch said the club's preference was always to appoint a first-time senior coach as Hinkley's successor.
"That worked pretty well for us last time, and we think history throughout the industry shows that," Koch said.
"From a board point of view and recommendation from the football committee, we always try and develop internally.
"Identify talent, put them on a development program, and we think that's best for this football club."
Port are bullish about their flag chances in 2025 - with the addition of talented utility Jack Lukosius offsetting the loss of star defender Dan Houston - after losing a preliminary final to Sydney last year.
The Power open their season away to Collingwood at the MCG on March 15.
