PORT Adelaide senior assistant Matthew Nicks has received a ringing endorsement from Power defender Hamish Hartlett as a coach in waiting.

Nicks and fellow Power assistant Michael Voss have been touted as potential candidates for the vacant coaching role with Gold Coast.

While Hartlett stressed the pair's focus was solely on helping Port go deep into the finals – as both have also stated publicly – he said both had the qualities to be a senior coach.

"If that's the path Nicksy wants to go down, then one day he would make a great senior coach," Hartlett told AFL.com.au.

"The relationships he's got with his players are outstanding and he's a really positive, optimistic, type of guy.

"But if things aren't going the way they should be, he's more than happy to tell you to start doing the right thing.

"We'd certainly encourage him to pursue that dream if that's what he wants to do."

Nicks is in his seventh season as an assistant at the Power, starting as a development coach, moved into defence, then forwards and has this year taken on a larger role as coach Ken Hinkley's second in charge.

Nicks was also in the inaugural induction of the AFL's Level 4 coaching program in 2015.

Other assistants in that group included Brendon Bolton and Simon Goodwin, who have since taken on head coaching roles at Carlton and Melbourne respectively.

"His general enthusiasm and positivity around the place all the time is quite infectious," Hartlett said.

"That's probably the main thing I've learned personally from him."

Voss joined the Power in 2015 as the club's midfield manager, bringing his five years of senior coaching experience from the Brisbane Lions.

"He's an absolute legend and the relationships he's got with his particular group of players is outstanding," Hartlett said of the 1996 Brownlow Medallist.

"He's a very caring guy, very interested in the things you're doing outside of footy as well, so it's not just all footy, footy, footy with Vossy.

"He's really thorough with his work as well."

Hartlett has played 145 games for the Power since making his debut in 2009.

He said a successful coach needs to be able to build strong relationships with the playing group to get the best out of them.

"When you know your coach really cares about you as a player and a person and he's always looking to improve you in all aspects of your life, that's when you know you've got a good one," he said.

"The communication between a coach and a playing group is massive these days.

"That's where Kenny has probably been the best in that area as opposed to others I've had in the past."