Gold Coast Football Club Assistant Coach Ken Hinkley could be excused for battling mixed emotions when GCFC lines up against Geelong at Southport’s Fankhauser Reserve this Saturday. But the two-time premiership-winning Geelong assistant coach, dual All Australian and 121-game former Cat says nothing could be further from the truth.

“I don’t feel any different at all to be honest. I know some of the players of course, but I’ve well and truly made the progression of being a Geelong assistant coach to the same role on the Gold Coast. We could be playing Casey or Bendigo or whoever else. I now treat them all the same.”

Hinkley’s new role at GCFC is not the first time he’s been called upon as coach and mentor to a young and talented playing group. In 2004 - Hinkley’s first year on Geelong’s coaching staff - the Cats were young, raw and exciting. He was part of the brains trust that helped refine the talent that twice guided the Cats to September glory. Now he’s attempting to do the same thing at GCFC. It’s a challenge he’s relishing.

“Geelong’s was a very young list back then. Ablett, Kelly, Bartel were all 18 or 19. But they had a few older players in the mix. Here we’re starting pretty much completely young, but with top end young talent. That’s the exciting part, and that’s why I came here. You know that if they do the work and if you educate these kids the right way they’ll become a great side. That’s the biggest thing with me. I’ve experienced working with talented individuals and contributing to helping them become a really competitive team.”

Despite acknowledging that much work is yet to be done, Hinkley is encouraged by the GCFC’s early development.

“We’ve competed really well in each game and been right in it up to our ears, but at times we’ve just lost our ability to apply sustained pressure. Whether that’s inexperience, or youth, or whether it’s the opposition; all these things have been factors in every game we’ve played. There’s no doubt that the physical side of the game takes its toll. But the longer we progress in every game the closer we get. And that’s the idea of the 2010 season, to get these boys to be able to compete at a level above what they’re used to.”

Hinkley remains coy about the side’s prospects this weekend against Geelong. But coming off the back of tough games against four of the VFL’s top five sides, each top-heavy with AFL talent, he says the game against the Cats at least represents a chance to play on an almost level playing field against a relatively youthful line up.

“You look at the numbers. There’s not a lot of difference between the two sides in terms of experience. The bottom end of the Geelong list is really quite young,” he says.