From Central District, SA, he showed some encouraging signs in playing five solid games in mid-1998. His strong marking in defence was an asset, but in 1999 he did not get a senior opportunity until Round 7. After four games he found himself back in the reserves for two months, but was able to regain a senior spot for three games late in the year when he was briefly tried as a forward. He began 1999 at centre half-back and although he was dropped to the reserves several times, fought his way back each time to underline his determination and tremendous potential. Kinnear played several fine games in 2000 and towards season's end appeared to establish himself as a regular in the line-up. He managed seven games for the 2000 season, and plodded along in the reserves for the first half of 2001. He showed some good form late in the season when he grabbed a senior place. He spent the majority of his footballing career in defence, but showed that he could make a handy input when swung into attack. In 2002 he had just the one senior game, but after seeking a trade he stayed on to grab a senior spot in the latter part of the year. He had three games early in 2004 without a significant impact.