Koch sparked headlines this year on The Footy Show when he turned the heat on Hinkley, declaring the Power could not afford not to make the finals for a third-straight season. This was interpreted widely as the coach being put on notice despite his contract running until the end of 2018.

While Koch has since said Hinkley's contract "will run the course", the Power supremo last week asked Hinkley what he needed to do to help him remain coach for another five years.

Hinkley has been in charge since 2013 and will this weekend celebrate his 100th game in charge.

"Last week, [at] one of Ken's and my regular discussions - we thought a bit differently over the pre-season, we brought in some new support, new resources - we talked about how that was going," Koch told Fairfax Media.

"We are playing way better footy than last year. We have a long way to go and to improve.

"My question to Ken was, and I do it to [chief executive] Keith [Thomas] ??? I do it to Chris Davies, who is the head of our football department: 'What do I need to do to make you a 10-year coach? You tell me, not just in terms of resources, but your professional and personal development and the whole lot'."

The Power have begun the season well, and entered round eight in seventh spot ahead of Sunday's historic clash against the Gold Coast Suns in Shanghai.

Should the Power make the finals, Hinkley won't have any issues, but a tumble in the second half of the season will almost certainly spark debate among the Power faithful.

Koch said Hinkley, 50, was always willing to learn, a hallmark of successful organisations.

"That's the way we think as a club. I have become a student of the successful sporting organisations around the world and the one key theme is stability," he said.

"Stability between coach, president, chief executive and captain. Stability breeds success but, if you are one of those four, your character has to be one of constant learning and trying to improve. If you don't start with that, then you are not going to survive, and you won't survive in Port Adelaide.

"But if you have got that character and drive to know you are never perfect, and you can always learn, then you will have stability and longevity."

Reminded that coaches ultimately are judged on wins and losses, Koch replied: "Yeah, but a crucial element of success is that stability and willing to constantly learn."

Skipper Travis Boak said his partnership with Hinkley was strong.

"You can ask any player at our club that have played under Kenny, and would say the same thing, I absolutely love him," he said.

"His door has always been open, not only to footy matters, but personal matters where you want to talk at all."

Suns coach Rodney Eade, off contract this season, is a man under pressure but he and his club have responded well since the opening fortnight of the season when club officials were worried about an internal implosion.

The Suns have won three of their past five matches, including a 25-point win at home over Geelong last weekend.