A half back flanker in the 1991 and 1992 All-Australian teams, Hinkley also won a Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong's best and fairest player in the 1992 AFL season.

In the same year he finished third at the Brownlow Medal count, behind winner Scott Wynd and Hawthorn's Jason Dunstall.

Retiring after the 1995 AFL Grand Final, Hinkley joined Hampden Football League club Mortlake as coach,[4] where he remained for three seasons.

[6] The year after leaving St Kilda he took up the role of senior coach of Bell Park in the Geelong Football League and oversaw a premiership in 2003.

[12] during this period, Hinkley also interviewed for the Richmond, Geelong and St Kilda senior coach positions but was unsuccessful.

[15] After guiding Port Adelaide to minor premiership and a Preliminary Final appearance during the 2020 AFL season, Hinkley signed a contract extension until the end of 2023.

[18] Hinkley's position came under further scrutiny in 2024 following a heavy mid-season loss to Brisbane, though the club rebounded to again qualify in the top four, which culminated in a fourth preliminary final defeat, this time to Sydney.

Despite this, he will end as the longest-serving senior AFL coach in the history of the club with a win-loss percentage higher than any of his predecessors.

[22] Hinkley is married to high school sweetheart Donna and the couple have three children, Lisa, Bec and Jordan.