Port Adelaide Power News

Gold Coast Suns recruit Nathan Krakouer has apologises to his former club Port Adelaide for the manner of his departure but says he is now concentrating on preparing himself to play for his new club.

"I apologise for the way things happened but I am here now and I am looking forward to the future with the Gold Coast," he said.

"I basically can't wait to get all this media stuff out of the way and start focussing on myself and get everything sorted and start the pre-season."

Port Adelaide says it is very disappointed with the way Nathan Krakouer's defection to Gold Coast has been handled given they were informed by the Suns directly rather than by Krakouer's manager despite repeated enquiries.

"The football world accepts that clubs will lose players to the expansion teams, but given the commitment our football club has made to Nathan's development and welfare over the last four years, we are very disappointed at the way the matter has been handled in recent weeks," Power general manager of football operations Peter Rohde said.

Port Adelaide caretaker coach Matthew Primus strengthens his case for the top job at the Power with 5 wins from 7 outings.

"We set ourselves a goal with seven weeks to go," Primus said.

"We wanted to win all our home games and we wanted to see if we could get a couple on the road. It's a credit to the players, because it's very easy with seven weeks to go to not get too much out of the season.

Power have re-signed Kane Cornes, Tom Logan and Cameron Hitchcock to new deals.

"Kane's consistency and durability has been outstanding for many years and he continues to play a very important role in our midfield," Power football operations manager Rohde said of Cornes.

"He has the unique ability to play on some of the best midfielders in the competition while at the same time winning plenty of his own football. Kane certainly remains an integral part of our side moving forward."

Port Adelaide forward Brett Ebert has had LARS surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament in a bid to play in 2011.

"He didn't feel too much pain at the time [of the injury] ... when he got in there, his joint surfaces and other ligaments etc were intact," Power general manager of football operations Peter Rohde said.

"It was just a very straightforward LARS surgery."

Port Adelaide forward Brett Ebert could miss an entire season after injuring his knee in Sunday's win over Melbourne.

"The docs are pretty sure Ebo's done his ACL. Normally, once they do their tests they are 99 per cent sure it's done. He'll probably have it confirmed tomorrow and then we'll discuss surgery and whether he has the LARS or the old-fashioned reconstruction," Power caretaker coach Matthew Primus said.

"Brett was our leading goalkicker [prior to Sunday]...so it's not ideal, but he'll bounce back from it, I'm sure."

Port Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin says the club deserved better than to learn of Nathan Krakouer's departure for the Gold Coast through the media.

"Krak spoke to Rohdey, but obviously there's been a little bit of miscommunication between him and his manager. The way his manager dealt with it was a little bit disappointing and the club probably deserved a little bit better," Chaplin said.

"It's been reported since probably round two or three, so it's been on the cards for a while. The decision's been made now, so it's probably taken a bit of pressure off of him and we can move forward as a club and as a playing group."

Port Adelaide appears to be resigned to losing Nathan Krakouer but his final destination, and the circumstances of his departure, remain unclear.

Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus says he has little hope Nathan Krakouer will stay with the club next year.

"We're not quite sure what Krak's doing. I spoke to him last Friday and he was saying that he was more than likely going to go somewhere else, but that he wasn't quite sure on what he was doing," Primus told SEN radio.

"We reiterated with him that we'd like him stay here... but he certainly hadn't committed to us or to anyone else - that's what he told us anyway... the longer it goes on the less likely it is that he's staying."

Port Adelaide's Jackson Trengove has joined his namesake, Demon Jack, on the Rising Star list after winning the round 20 nomination.

"We're a side that is very young. We've got Matthew Broadbent who's playing some good footy, Hamish Hartlett who's injured but coming through," Trengove said with optimism for the Power's future.

"There's Travis Boak who is a young star. We've got a lot of young blokes coming through and we're a pretty close group so that will hold us in good stead for the future."

Essendon has confirmed it has met with former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams about joining the club as an assistant.

"We knew Mark was in Melbourne today so Matthew (Knights) and I took the opportunity to catch up and see where he was at in terms of his career," Essendon general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said.

"We obviously have coaching positions available for next season following the resignations of Ashley Prescott and Scott Camporeale, and we will explore a number of options over the coming weeks to ensure we fill those positions with the best possible candidates."

Port Adelaide president Brett Duncanson says people power will play a role when it comes to selecting the club's next coach, including former captain and caretaker coach Matthew Primus.

"Any Port Adelaide leader and in Matty's case an outstanding on-field leader is going to be popular and that will be a factor in everything we do when it comes to the appointment of senior coaches," Duncanson said.

"We'll look at what it actually does to our long-term commercial viability and Matty ticks all those boxes, but it's about sticking to the process."

Port Adelaide forward Jay Schulz says his form turnaround has had a lot to do with the confidence he lacked at Richmond.

"The main thing with me is not getting too down on myself when I'm not going so well," Schulz said after kicking 19 goals in his last 6 games for the Power.

"Even during games now when I've been playing better footy I haven't been having good quarters, but I find that I'm thinking a different way now.

I'm feeling like I'm still in it and not wasted for the rest of the game. I feel like I can still fight my way back in and give something to the team when I'm out there."

Sam Mitchell defends his coach Alastair Clarkson after an attack by Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett following losses to Port Adelaide and Sydney.

"No one puts more into their footy than Clarko and his staff. They're here at the crack of dawn every morning and they don't leave until it's dark," Mitchell said.

"They're working hard and the players are working hard. No one puts more into their footy, we wouldn't think, than our footy club."

After a 94-point thrashing at the hands of St Kilda, Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan says the players want to finish the season strongly to make sure caretaker coach Matthew Primus is appointed as coach for season 2011.

"We want to finish off well for the club and for our supporters, but we really want Matty to stay around and we need to show the club and the board members that we want to play under him," Brogan said.

Port Adelaide footballer Nick Salter explains his stoush with Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli which resulted in the Hawk forward copping a two-week suspension.

"There was a wrestle going on and I wasn't just going to sit there and watch my mate (Stewart) get held down on the ground, so I went in to help out," Salter said.

"The next thing I know is there's blows being thrown but I didn't feel too much. There wasn't much in it."

Chad Cornes says he may need to consult a psychologist to help him regain his best form again.

"It must all be in my head, so whether I see someone - a psyschologist or something like that - to help me get that form back, who knows?" Cornes said.

"But I'll be doing everything I can to get back that form."

Port Adelaide defender Jackson Trengove says senior Power player Chad Cornes will be needed to help the club's developing list next year.

"Chad's a super player and [it's important] especially for the young guys to look up and have someone like Chad there to work off of," Trengove said.

"I've already said to him that I'll be trying to follow in his footsteps during the pre-season because he goes about it at a different level to everyone else."

After two wins on the trot against Adelaide and Hawthorn, Port Adelaide caretaker coach Matthew Primus says wins will help his bid to take on the role permanently, but that there is much more to the process.

"The wins and losses that I have over the next month will be a little bit of it, but the process of what kind of person you are will stand for a lot more," Primus said.

"I'm learning all the time. I'm learning about preparation and learning about game day. The moment you start to relax and feel more confident something will come and bite you on the backside, so we'll keep knuckling down and see if we can get another win next week."

Port Adelaide caretaker coach Matthew Primus says defender Nathan Krakouer won't decide his future until the end of the season.

"He's got a decision to make and he's going to wait until the end of the year [to make it]. You'd like to have him signed up like Travis Boak, Paul Stewart and Robbie Gray but he's decided to wait until the end of the year," Primus said.

"All we can do is keep talking to him and tell him how good the future here is going to be. In the end it's his decision and we'll have to wait and see."

Port Adelaide's Justin Westhoff admits he has to work harder to become a better and more consistent player particularly with the retirement of Warren Tredrea.

"I think it [the effort] been there all along, but putting it together for a whole a game is probably something that's let me down during the year," Westhoff said.

"It's about doing extra things at training, talking to other people, talking to other coaches and leaving no stone unturned. I've probably cut corners a few times this year and didn't do everything I probably should have.

"With Tredders going it leaves a huge hole in our forward line. We need one or two guys to stand up and fill that void and I'm definitely keen for that role."

Port Adelaide caretaker coach and former teammate Matthew Primus says retiring Warren Tredrea deserves to be rated among the best players of the game.

"Tredders has been one of the greats. He's been an outstanding player for us and the greatest player we've ever had. The Chris Judds, Jonathan Browns and those kinds of guys in the competition - Tredders is up there, if not above them," Primus said.

"He just won our club too many games not to be. He should be held in as high regard as anyone else in the last decade."

Port Adelaide's Warren Tredrea calls an end to his career and says he made the decision to retire as he was being helped from the ground against Essendon in round seven with an ankle injury.

"I was confident that I could get back before the end of the year, but the direction we're heading in is not a direction for a 31-year-old to be selfish," Tredrea said.

"I was always going to retire at the end of this year and when I injured myself it brought it on even quicker. I was loving playing, loving training and loving competing but everything else that came with AFL footy... it was getting to the stage where I'd almost had enough."

Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus says Chad Cornes may miss the rest of the season after injuring himself in the SANFL with a broken finger.

"Chad's seeing a surgeon tomorrow," Primus said.

"Whatever hand [that his injured finger is on] is the same one that he's got a few other fingers banged up on as well. He'll see a surgeon and they'll decide whether they need to operate of if he can get through the next five weeks with it."

Kane Cornes admits that being too intense with his determination to succeed at football in the past may have been detrimental to his relationship with others.

"Up until last year I was really intense and pretty crazy about my footy," he said.

"I felt I had to work twice as hard as some other guys who have things come easier to them. If I could change one thing it would be how focused and intense I've been around the footy club. It might have hurt me with a few relationships with other players."

Caretaker coach Matthew Primus says Chad Cornes' AFL career is not over despite being sent to the SANFL for the second week in a row.

"Chad's form [for Glenelg] was OK on the weekend, but we want to see a little bit more from him. It made it a little bit difficult with him playing onball because we wanted to see him down back ... but he held himself well, went back with the right attitude and gave a pretty good effort," Primus said.

"Chad does have to get back into some form, but by no means has he already been stamped away from this club. He's too good a player and has too much pride to let that happen."

Power midfielder Steve Salopek has been booked in for shoulder surgery after dislocating his shoulder again and will miss the rest of the season. It will be his fourth shoulder reconstruction since joining the club.

Premiership player, prodigal son and pugnacious onballer Josh Carr will play his last game in the Showdown against Adelaide after announcing his retirement.

"As a kid, playing AFL football was all I ever dreamed about," Carr said in a statement.

"To be given an opportunity to play for a great traditional club like Port Adelaide was simply unbelievable.

"From the first day I walked into the place you could tell just how proud this club was. To be part of it - and then be part of a successful era which included the 2004 premiership - was amazing and something I'll always cherish."

Port Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes is confident brother Chad can return to his best form after looking indifferent on the field this year.

"His form hasn't been great and up to the standard that he's set over a long period of time. He's disappointed with that, but he's still really enthusiastic. He still trains as hard as anyone and does all the extra stuff, so he's still looking to get the best out of himself," Kane Cornes said.

"His passion and his hunger is still there and that's a huge motivation for him. When he's got that, that's when he does play his best footy. The last seven games are really important for him to get some momentum going into next year."

Port Adelaide's highest ever draft pick has been ruled out for the remainder of 2010 after suffering a quad injury at training.

"Hamish is going to be a great player and it's disappointing not to have him out there for the rest of the year, but he'll get his body right and he'll come out better," teammate Travis Boak said.

Port Adelaide midfielder Travis Boak has re-signed with the Power, ending speculation he could join Gold Coast or a Victorian club.

"I wanted to make sure my mum and sisters were happy. They've put no pressure on me to go back home at all and it's always been my decision," Boak said.

"If I was to move anywhere it would be back home, but I'm completely happy here and I'm really excited about the next few years. The club support for me and them has been fantastic, so I can't ask for much more than that."

Matthew Primus says he wants the Port Adelaide head coching job after being appointed as caretaker coach of the Power.

"It's just too good an opportunity to knock back," Primus said.

"Whatever is going to happen in the future will happen, but obviously I can show what I'm about.

"Maybe it can go against you too, but you never know if you don't have a crack at it."

Port Adelaide has announced that Matthew Primus will take over as caretaker coach of the club following the termination of Mark Williams' contract.

Port Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin says the playing group can't help but feels partly responsible for Mark Williams' sudden departure as coach of the Power.

"You can't help but feel guilty for some of the performances we've dished up this year and unfortunately it's always the coach that feels the wrath," Chaplin said.

"To Choco's credit, he's continued to try and get the best out of us and I think he has. He and the other coaches put in enormous hours to make us a better team.

Mark Williams resigns as Port Adelaide coach.

"I am leaving today because of illness and fatigue - the supporters have become sick and tired of me," he said.

Port Adelaide says midfielder Travis Boak has edged closer to re-signing at Alberton.

"Trav and his management have talked to Peter [Rohde] and put something to us. We are considering that and will put something back to him, so negotiations have certainly started," Power coach Mark Williams said.

"We are very enthused by that, and not too far away (we're confident) he will make his announcement in our favour."

Steve Salopek has laughed off suggestions from a TV show that he has bought a house on the Gold Coast and is set to walk out on the Power.

"I got a phone call from my sister on the Friday morning after [the show went to air] and she asked 'have you bought a house up on the Gold Coast?' and I said, 'not that I know of'," Salopek said.

"It would be nice to have a house up there, but it's not true at all and I don't know where the rumour came from."

Robert DiPierdomenico is stood down by the AFL from his role as AusKick ambassador after a racist gaffe involving Port Adelaide and Essendon great Gavin Wanganeen.

DiPierdomenico was on record as saying that Wanganeen was "not too bad for an abo" at a footy function.

"I feel very ashamed of the words that I used, and I know that words can hurt and I hurt a lot of people ... and to be stood down from the AFL, I feel very ashamed of that," DiPierdomenico said.

Port Adelaide skipper Dom Cassisi says Daniel Motlop needs the club's support to pull through his current rough patch.

"First and foremost we've got to support Motts through the weekend and the other issues that he's had," Cassisi said.

"We need to judge them (players) harshly at certain times and we do that, but at the same time we need to support them. We support Motts in trying to turn his form around and be a really good contributor for our side because when he is playing well he's a very important player for us."

Chad Cornes is given an opportunity to redeem himself following a dismal four possession game against the Hawks after being selected to face Sydney.

"We sat and talked about, he knows it, and he's appreciative of the fact that he has got another chance to play this week," Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams said.

"With all the credits Chad has earned over the years, he has certainly earned one more game, that is for sure."

Chad Cornes' waning form comes under the spotlight after he tallied just four touches against Hawthorn while his season disposals and marks averages are the lowest it has been years.

"Chad's probably the best one to answer why he's not playing at his absolute best but the game has changed and he's learning a new role," Port Adelaide assistant coach Jason Cripps said.

"He's a dual All-Australian centre half-back who was a very dominant defender but the game has moved on - it's played a bit differently now."

Dr Hugh Seward says the unknown of LARS ankle surgery performed on veteran Warren Tredrea makes it too risky for younger players with time on their side.

"Warren is getting towards the end of his career and wants to make the most of the time ahead and I think it's a well considered decision he's made," Seward said.

"If you have a young player who's at the very start of his career, we'd prefer to use the standard, proven technique. The sorts of players having this repair done may well be the older player who is getting to the second half of their career and doesn't want to run the risk of a longer period out."

Port Adelaide has secured the services of three key youngsters in Robbie Gray, Hamish Hartlett and Paul Stewart, all of whom have signed new deals with the club.

"I'm very settled here in Adelaide and have really enjoyed my first few seasons here at the Power," Gray said.

"We have an exciting young list that is eager to play finals football and I certainly want to be a part of that.

"The club picked me late in the draft and put a lot of time in developing me as a player and I am very thankful of that."

Port Adelaide veteran Warren Tredrea is set for an earlier-than-expected return from a serious ankle injury .

"'Tredders' is coming along pretty well. He can even jog lightly and he's certainly walking around on the ankle. He's started a fitness program, but he's probably still eight weeks away from playing," Port Adelaide football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"I wouldn't want to build expectation too much, but we are expecting him to get back at some stage later in the year."

Josh Carr is taking the ups with the down in what may be the Power veteran's last year of football.

"You get disappointed if you get out of the side, but you've got to move on pretty quickly and it's where I'm at in my career," Carr said.

"I can't do much else than either play well for Glenelg or if I play well enough to get in the Power side then I've got to make the most of my opportunities here."

Power coach Mark Williams says he is starting to get worried with rumours linking defender Nathan Krakouer with the Gold Coast.

"Nathan is a good player, so I'd imagine the Gold Coast should be talking to him. We're very hopeful of keeping him here, but who knows ... it is starting to smell a bit," Williams said.

Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop will miss this weekend's game against Richmond after breaching a club curfew to pick his girlfriend up from the airport early last Saturday morning when she arrived at 2am on a flight from Adelaide.

"While we understand this is a challenging time for Daniel in his personal life and he believed he was doing the right thing by his girlfriend, he has nevertheless not met the standards the club requires or accepts regarding professional preparation for a game," Port Adelaide football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan says his teammates didn't like him when he arrived at the club and thought he was soft.

"I certainly struggled with the greater professionalism and extra sacrifices you had to make and my new teammates made it quite clear that I had to change or I would be booted out," Brogan said.

"They didn't care that I was a basketballer trying to make it at footy. As far as they were concerned, I was nobody really and I had to get with the program or get out."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says there is no ill-feeling between Jacob Surjan and Daniel Motlop after police were called in to investigate an incident allegedly involving verbal assault between Motlop and a girlfriend of Surjan's.

"I have actually [spoken to Motlop and Surjan], together and separately and there are no problems between them," Williams said.

"I have always thought that when alcohol is involved anything can happen. I really don't want to keep answering all the questions because what you do is write a big story about it when there is none."

Port Adelaide says forward Robbie Gray is close to re-signing with the club.

"Robbie is a real important player for us going forward," Power coach Mark Williams said.

"His body is improving each year, so we are really confident that he can be a 10- to 12-year player for us. He started in the forward line and now we are really confident he is going to be a major player through the centre square and in the forward line."

Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop is being investigated by police over a claim of verbal assault against a teammate's girlfriend.

"The Port Adelaide Football Club is aware of a domestic argument involving player Daniel Motlop,'' Football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"Motlop intervened in a dispute between his partner and the partner of another player at a Glenelg bar. Police are now making inquiries about the argument.''

Power forward Daniel Motlop says he won't change the way he plays despite accusations of lairising in a loss against Carlton.

"There are going to be games where there isn't any magic there and there will be games where there's a little bit, but I'm not going to change the way I play," Motlop said.

"Everyone makes mistakes. I guess I just go for a bit more and sometimes it doesn't come off. I don't go out there and try to do it [play with flair] ... it just accidentally happens, but it comes off sometimes and you have to take the good with the bad."

Chad Cornes says his return to form in 2010 has given him enough confidence to resume sledging his opponents, a tactic he deliberately scaled back last year.

"When you do that, you have to back that performance up because you can't be out there bagging people and not putting your head over the ball or playing hard, contested footy yourself," Cornes said.

"Last year, when my confidence was down and my body was sore and tired, it's not the main thing on your mind. You're more focussed on getting a kick and getting your body right. It's a bit of a cop out, but when you're feeling good it's easier to do that kind of stuff."

In what is believed to be an AFL first, Port Adelaide veteran Warren Tredrea has had an artificial ligament inserted in his foot in a bid to quicken his recovery from a potentially career-threatening ankle injury.

"The advantage of the synthetic ligament is that it has a great deal of flexibility, which allows him to get going a lot quicker. The procedure is relatively new, but it has been used quite regularly in New South Wales in the rugby league and also in American footballers," Port Adelaide doctor Mark Fisher said.

"Hopefully it means we'll be able to get Tredders training a little bit sooner than you'd otherwise expect."

Port Adelaide veteran Warren Tredrea injures his ankle against the Bombers and will require surgery that will keep him out for 3 months.

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says he will take more responsibility for the midfield coaching in Matthew Primus' absence after Primus was banned by the AFL for two matches following a $20 wager placed on the NAB Cup semi-final .

"Matthew plays a major role during match day and him not being there makes it more difficult," Williams said.

"We have some other people that are generally working in that area that will assist in filling that role and we'll get through.

"Dean will be stepping up a little bit more and we also have our video analyst in the box, who works very closely with Matty. He's been in all our meetings for the whole year, so he knows what's going on."

Essendon, Carlton and Collingwood are among the Victorian clubs queuing up to speak to out of contract Port Adelaide stars Travis Boak and Robbie Gray while the Gold Coast is also reported to have flagged its interest.

Boak and Gray are housemates, close friends and are also managed by the same company, Stride.

Port's Kane Cornes says he has only staged for a free kick once in his career and it was not in the 2010 season.

"I think there was one against Barry Hall three or four years ago [where I dived]...that probably wasn't one of my best efforts," Cornes said.

"I haven't even had an official warning yet. I think they investigated the incident against Geelong, but nothing came of it."

"I haven't even given the issue much thought. It's been good for you guys (the media) to talk about, but for me it hasn't really been an issue."

Port Adelaide assistant coach Matthew Primus admits he did the wrong thing by betting on a NAB Cup match 14 months ago.

"I take full responsibility for the placing of the bet," Primus said.

"It was not my intention to bet on an AFL game but I am well aware of the AFL rules and will accept any sanction imposed."

As another showdown approaches, Matt Thomas says he has tempered his attack on the contest in a bid to stay free of injury and the tribunal.

"The game is so quick and you're so fatigued you're not even thinking too much - you're just playing on instinct a little bit, so if anything I'm not worrying too much about all that kind of [physical] stuff," Thomas said.

"I'm just worried about playing footy and I'm not trying to have an influence in the ways that I might have in the past."

Radical knee surgery that rapidly helped Port Adelaide midfielder David Rodan back to action could become the AFL norm after he was one of the Power's best with 27 disposals in a win against St Kilda.

"The ability of the operation to actually keep the player involved with the group, it doesn't put them aside for six months before they can come back and train," Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams said.

"He was walking around the oval two weeks after. It was just amazing. It seemed like nothing more than a hamstring or an ankle injury. It kept his spirits up and kept him involved."

Outspoken Bulldog Jason Akermanis confirms that Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes is a stager but says he isn't alone in acting for free kicks.

"Unfortunately for Kane he's been doing it for many years and he's not the only one ... and the players know [who they are]," Akermanis said.

"Didak, I mean these kind of guys, you've got Leon Davis. And the umpires know it and they detest it."

Port Adelaide coach is happy untried ruckman Matthew Lobbe will have to face off against the Saints in his first match.

"We felt that two genuine ruckmen going up against Dean probably meant that he needed a bit more help and that's what Matthew Lobbe will provide," Williams said.

"I know (Collingwood coach) Mick Malthouse often brings a new player into the Anzac Day game, so for Matthew Lobbe to be there, a young player going out against the odds to have a crack at Gardiner and King, who are great ruckmen he couldn't get a bigger contest or opportunity to show what he can do."

Port Adelaide midfielder David Rodan has come to the defence of teammate Kane Cornes over staging allegations.

Cornes was investigated by the match review panel for falling to the ground after receiving minimal contact from Geelong's Corey Enright but was not charged under the AFL's new anti-staging rule.

"I don't think Kane stages. I think he competes very hard and he's got a tough gig each week playing on the best players in the AFL, so he does a really good job," Rodan said.

The match review panel is believed to have warned Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes for diving but Port Adelaide say they do not have an issue with the way he plays.

"We want him just to keep doing what he's doing," Power operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"In the end, if he breaks that rule, he's going to get a written reprimand or whatever. That's not good for him but it's not as though he's going to give a free kick away."

The Herald Sun reports that new AFL franchise Gold Coast has set its sights on Crows midfielder Scott Thompson and Port Adelaide's Nathan Krakouer.

Port Adelaide captain Domenic Cassisi says the team will draw inspiration from David Rodan's comeback from a knee reconstruction against Geelong on Sunday.

"He has come from a long way back with injury, he hasn't really missed too much, he was walking laps a few weeks after the injury and has built up from there," Cassisi said.

"For all the guys, especially with such a young group, to see the work ethic that he has had to get back playing AFL footy is a credit to himself."

Port Adelaide defender Jacob Surjan says his is still suffering neck soreness after the controversial incident in the round-two win over West Coast where he was stretchered off the ground despite appearing to not be in any significant pain.

"I was a little bit surprised by the [controversy] because I thought the medicos and doctors acted in the best interest of the player, which in this case was me. I think everyone blew it out of proportion, but that's what happens sometimes," Surjan said.

Port Adelaide denies allegations that it deliberately stretchered Jacob Surjan from the field to kill any momentum West Coast had during their round 2 clash.

"There has been a lot of allegations - and the AFL will sort them out," Power defender Troy Chaplin said.

"The advantage us was none. The clock stopped. I'm not sure how it can be an advantage for us.

"The talk of us taking him off and slowing the game down (is wrong) . . . (Jacob) is one of our best players, he is our vice-captain. We are already one down on the bench. Why would we want to lose another one?"

New scans have revealed a tear in Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop's right hamstring meaning the forward will miss at least another two weeks.

Justin Westhoff's off-season work reaped rewards in the Power's narrow win over West Coast after notching 27 disposals, nine marks and a goal.

"I'm still getting used to playing through the midfield and I'm just glad to do my part for the team to help get the four points," Westhoff said.

"It's the best I've ever been fitness and weight-wise. I'm just looking forward to continuing on this form over the next month to really get off to a good start to the season."

Danyle Pearce admits to having trouble dealing with a heavy tag in 2009.

"I was being heavily tagged for the first time, being pushed around a fair bit, and it took a while to get used to," Pearce said.

"I didn't stop trying or running but the fact I was getting a lot of attention and I wasn't getting as much of the ball as I would have liked did get to me. If I wasn't getting the ball I'd think that I wasn't doing my job and I would get down on myself."

On the eve of his 250th march, Port Adelaide veteran Warren Tredrea says this season may not be his last.

"To say this season will be my last ... I'm mentally prepared it could be, but that decision will be made come August or September after the finals series and consultation with the coaches," Tredrea said.

"If the body's fresh, my form is good and I'm enjoying it then there's no reason why I won't continue."

Port Adelaide may be without forwards Daniel Motlop and Robbie Gray until round four as the club takes a cautious approach to their injuries.

Port Adelaide onballer Robbie Gray failed to train with his teammates due to a hamstring complaint on Thursday, ahead of Sunday's season opener against North Melbourne.

"Robbie's in a little bit of doubt and he's probably 50-50 to play," skipper Domenic Cassisi said.

"The injury's not anything serious. He played in the last practice game against Collingwood and there's still three or four days to go until the game so he's still got every chance of playing."

Port Adelaide vice-captain Dean Brogan expects rookie forward Cameron Hitchcock to play in round one against North Melbourne.

"Hitchy has been great for us and he's been promoted to the senior list, so I'd say he'll play," Brogan said.

"Mitch has been great for us. He played all the trial games and he'd be well into the mix."

Daniel Motlop is struggling to regain fitness for the Power's first match of 2010 against North Melbourne.

Motlop was granted permission to play in the SANFL had to come off the ground after only half a game due to hamstring tightness.

Second-year Port Adelaide captain Dom Cassisi says he is more comfortable in the role after a tough start last season.

"After the first four or five rounds [last year], I was able to find a better balance between the captaincy stuff and being able to perform still," he said.

"I got off to a slow start, but sitting down with 'Choco' and getting back to the basics, I was able to get some momentum from there. Last year was a challenging year, but I'm more equipped for this year."

Cassisi also says that his relationship with coach Mark Williams is fine despite Williams initially nominating teammate Shaun Burgoyne to be appointed captain of the club.

"I understand why he said what he did, because Shaun and Chad [Cornes] were our vice-captains at the time," Cassisi said.

"Anyone would've thought they were the next two guys to take the rein, but I went through the process and I was fortunate enough to get the job, so it was as black and white as that.

"'Choco' was supportive of me right from the start, so we've moved on from there and we're working well together and looking forward to getting a good result."

Port Adelaide assistant coach Matthew Primus says former Carlton ruckman Cameron Cloke remains a chance to be added to the senior list depending on teammate David Rodan's recovery from knee surgery.

"We still have a position on our senior list available. It depends [on Rodan's recovery] how long that position is going to be there, but Cameron is still right in the mix," Primus said.

"He played well on the weekend and if he has another good game this weekend he'll put his hand up, so we're still talking about him for sure."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says Kane Cornes is able to do more than just being a tagger.

"His most effective years have been the years in which he's been able to beat the best players in the competition, and unfortunately whatever that has led to as far as adulation and All-Australian selection and all that sort of stuff, it also pigeon-holes him as 'that's all he can do'," Williams said.

"He is quite a talented person with a whole lot of other attributes."

Cameron Hitchcock is elevated to Port Adelaide's senior list to replace John Butcher meaning former Blue Cameron Cloke remains a rookie due to David Rodan's remarkable recovery from a knee injury.

"I had a meeting with Choc last night and he told me that the club was going to upgrade me today," Hitchcock said.

"I've really enjoyed playing so far in the NAB Cup and this is a great opportunity for me."

David Rodan is close to making a remarkable comeback to football after undergoing revolutionary LARS knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"He's shocked us all," Port football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have said he'd have little chance of playing in Round 2. Now, after watching him do tackling drills last Friday, there is real hope that he could."

John Butcher and David Rodan are place on Port Adelaide's long-term injury list allowing the likes of former Blue Cameron Cloke and livewire forward Cameron Hitchcock to likely be elevated to Port Adelaide's primary list.

"We'll definitely upgrade someone in the next two weeks. Cloke and Hitchcock are the two that are at the forefront now. It'll depend on needs and who we're playing that week, but both of them have shown enough form to get upgraded," Power coach Williams said.

Kane Cornes says he has little respect for the opinion of former Crows captain Chris McDermott's who was critical of his kicking technique.

"I'll keep listening to my coaches and my teammates and as long as I'm doing my bit for the team and the team is winning and performing well, I'm happy," Cornes said.

"Chris McDermott's opinion on the scale of people who are important and people I listen to is as low as you can get."

Only 11 weeks after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, David Rodan has resumed training with his teammates.

"This morning when the whole team found out that he was going to train with us it brought a smile to everyone's face. He looked a bit nervous. I was sitting there watching him and I gave him a word or two here and there," teammate Danyle Pearce said.

"I don't think even David has a [return] date in his mind. He's just taking it week by week and seeing how the knee pulls up after every session. He's really looking forward to getting back and he just wants to get back into his normal routine."

Travis Boak says he has no interest in joining the competition's new franchise and wants to stay at Port Adelaide for as long as he can.

"I've been reading about it in the newspaper and it's been interesting reading, but I just laugh it off. I have no real interest at all in going there, so it's funny reading about it," Boak said.

"I love it over here in Adelaide. I'm really enjoying it and I don't want to go anywhere. I'd be happy to stay as long as I can and with a young group coming through at the club, it's going to be fantastic to be a part of that."

First-round draft pick John Butcher will play no part for Port Adelaide in its NAB Cup campaign after suffering a back injury.

"John had back problems a couple of years ago. When we brought him here we put him on a program to keep the strength in his back, but being a long, tall, thin bloke he's going to be prone to back soreness until we strengthen him up," Power football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"He's had all the tests done and the injury is nothing major. There's no fracture there but he's getting some soreness, so it's a warning sign that he needs to ease back. We'll have to build him up and condition him quite slowly."

Port Adelaide assistant Matthew Primus says Justin Westhoff is looming as an attractive option for the Power in the ruck.

"Westy's caught in between [positions] at the moment. Teams have had some great success over the last couple of years playing those kinds of [versatile] players in the ruck," Primus said.

"We thought Westy was just going to pinch-hit in a couple of games, but he really impressed in our internal trial and he had a good quarter or so against the Crows.

"We haven't played him in the ruck too much, so he's learning all about it at the moment but he certainly gives us something that the big hulking ruckmen don't."

Port Adelaide assistant coach Matthew Primus says midfielder Josh Carr will have to work hard for his opportunities this year.

"No player is just going to be given a game and Josh is going to have to work pretty hard for it. He's fighting with a lot of young guys to get a position," Primus said on Monday.

"We've got a lot of young kids and we want to get some games into them if their form says they're good enough to play."

Port Adelaide forward Robbie Gray is set to miss a second straight week of NAB Cup action after having his appendix removed.

Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop has accepted a one-game suspension for his crude tackle on Michael Doughty in the Power's NAB Cup win over Adelaide.

Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop could miss his side's NAB Cup match against West Coast after being charged with rough conduct following a crude spear tackle on Crow Michael Doughty.

Warren Tredrea expresses anger that a merger between the Power and the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL was rejected and says he will not play for another SANFL club if the Port Adelaide Magpies fold next year.

"There's only one club [for me] in the SANFL and that's the team I've followed. It'll be interesting if I decide to play on next year what SANFL club I'll have to visit because I can guarantee you I won't be going to any other club," Tredrea said.

"When my dad texted me a couple of nights ago and told me [the merger had been voted down] I couldn't believe it. As someone who was involved in it I was bitterly disappointed and to see [Magpies legend] Russell Ebert's face yesterday, it was pretty shattering.

"I just think it was a bit on envy and self-focus that has led to that decision being made. I don't think the overall picture of South Australian football has been looked after at all."

Justin Westhoff impresses in Port Adelaide's internal trial and may emerge as a backup ruckman to Dean Brogan.

"Justin is a very smart player. He's got great running power and agility, so [playing him in the ruck] is certainly a good thought," Power coach Mark Williams said.

Dom Cassisi has been re-appointed Port Adeladie captain, and has two new vice-captains in Dean Brogan and Jacob Surjan.

The trio were selected based on the input of the Power's new leadership mentors consisting of former national women's basketball coach Jan Stirling and coach Mark Williams' sister, Jenny.

"It stands out that these three guys are the most dominant, most vocal, best communicators and are comfortable in their own skin as far as where they sit within the organisation and the AFL world," Williams said.

Power youngster Hamish Hartlett will sit out the NAB Cup as the club tries to get him right for round one.

"Choco laid down the law after this most recent injury. He said I would only be training every second day and would never do two sessions in one day. I certainly won't be training hard one day and hard again the next. I'll be having one day off in between," Hartlett said.

"Obviously I'm not capable of putting up with the workload of a full AFL pre-season yet. It's something the club will work with me over the next year or two to overcome. I've got to do other things to keep my body in check and keep on top of it all."

David Rodan is 'blown away' by his rapid recovery from radical knee surgery, but says he cannot put a date on his comeback yet.

"I'd love to say I can be back in 12 weeks, but I really don't know," Rodan said.

"It's obviously something new to all of us, so [the doctors and I] are just going through it week to week. It's pretty mind blowing how quickly my recovery has been fast-tracked, but until I can do the stuff I used to do I won't come back."

David Rodan is running despite having major knee surgery in December, but Port Adelaide will not rush him into playing.

"I'm sure our supporters will be excited to see David running around, but it's all pretty measured and we won't be pushing him before he's ready," Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams said.

Despite being the only experienced ruckman at Port Adelaide, Dean Brogan is still feeling pressure to perform.

"In the past we'd go into the season with myself and Ladey and if one of us went down the other would step up. Now, it's me and then six other guys fighting for a position," Brogan said.

"It's pretty competitive and I need to make sure I'm on my A-game because if I don't stay sharp and keep improving my spot will be gone."

Exciting Port Adelaide midfield prospect Hamish Hartlett will miss most of his side's pre-season campaign after injuring his hamstring at training.

"It will be a four-weeker, so he won't be around for the start of the NAB Cup, but could play at some stage. He has to go through the rehabilitation process and will have two months to get himself right for round one," Power fitness coach Cam Falloon said.

Impressed with the continued development of Matthew Lobbe, Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams has pencilled him as second ruck in 2010 next to chief big man Dean Brogan.

"Right now, Matthew Lobbe will be taking the second ruck spot and he'll get the opportunity to do that," Williams said.

"We're going to have a lot of versatility in the ruck. No one will know exactly what we're doing and right now I don't know either."

Port Adelaide midfielder David Rodan has successfully undergone the same radical LARS (Ligament Augmentation and Reconstruction System) knee surgery as Swans defender Nick Malceski in a bid to be back by mid-season in 2010.

"We're going to take it week-by-week and that's exactly how it will be managed. We're not putting any timeframe on when David may be able to return. It's purely going to be based on how he recovers," Port Adelaide doctor Mark Fisher said.

"He'll be up and about a lot sooner but the best-case scenario is that we have David up and playing some sort of football at some level by the middle of next season."

Daniel Motlop had no hesitation in supporting Dean Laidley's move to Port Adelaide, despite the pair's acrimonious history when he left North Melbourne to join the Power.

"The club spoke to me and asked, 'what if we got Dean over here? Would it be awkward?' and I said 'no' . . . He's a great coach and a quality person," Motlop said.

"Dean was good to me at North Melbourne and I enjoyed my time with him. I've always said he's a good coach - probably the best I've had."

Port Adelaide has trimmed Kane Cornes, Chad Cornes and Daniel Motlop from a leadership group expected to retain Domenic Cassisi as skipper.

"I had five or six great years in the leadership group and really enjoyed my time, but probably with the stage the footy club is at and how young the group is it's time to give someone else a go," Kane Cornes said.

"We need to develop these guys as quick as we can because that's going to be the best thing for the footy club going forward. It's pretty exciting with the new leadership structure."

Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop says injuries have prevented him from getting the most out of pre-season training which led to an unflattering photo of him in the newspapers showing him out of shape.

"It was a nice photo wasn't it?" Motlop laughed.

"I wasn't able to do a lot over the break. I was restricted to walking and even then my ankle would get sore after a half-an-hour or so. I really got told just to rest and give my body time to heal.

"It was only November at that stage so it gives me a chance to get some weight off."

Port Adelaide midfielder David Rodan is likely to miss the 2010 season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during training.

"The whole club is extremely disappointed for David and his family," the club's football operations manager, Peter Rohde, said.

"All we are concerned about at the moment is getting David's knee successfully reconstructed and putting a rehabilitation program in place to assist in his recovery."

Former Brisbane Lion Scott Harding has joined Port Adelaide training at the last minute with a view to being drafted on Tuesday in the rookie/pre-season drafts.

Former Port Adelaide player Fabian Francis has pleaded not guilty to four rape charges and other offences.

Port Adelaide is appearing unlikely to select Cameron Cloke in the coming pre-season and rookie drafts, preferring instead to re-select the recently delisted Glenn Dawson as a rookie.

Talk of being traded has encouraged Port Adelaide forward Brett Ebert to work hard this off-season.

"In the past I tended to see the time off as a break and that was it," he said.

"I'd still work hard and do what I had to do, but this time around I wanted to do all the little extra bits and all of the recovery, so I'd have no excuses next year."

Port Adelaide has delisted forward Glenn Dawson, fuelling speculation the club will take ex-Blue Cameron Cloke in the NAB AFL Pre-season Draft.

"The club has decided it would like a pick in the pre-season draft and to do that we needed to delist a player," football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"Unfortunately that player is Glenn Dawson. Glenn played most of the season in the Woodville-West Torrens reserves and is currently overcoming a bout of glandular fever."

Delisted Carlton ruckman Cameron Cloke is still on Port Adelaide's radar, despite not being selected in last week's AFL Draft.

Port Adelaide's top draft pick John Butcher says he will work with coach Mark Williams to improve his goalkicking that saw him slide from a potential top pick to No. 8 in the 2009 NAB AFL draft.

"I've got an indifferent ball drop, but the statistics probably show up a little bit better than what people made out this year," Butcher said.

"I don't think my kicking is too much of a problem. Even just training six or seven days a week [compared to one] is going to improve my kicking a lot. I haven't really had a pre-season over the last two years, so I'll be looking to get in plenty of practice."

Port Adelaide recruit Jasper McMillan-Pittard says his size, or lack thereof, is no big deal.

"Knowing how slight I was, I didn't want to focus on my weight. I wanted to focus on my speed and my endurance and that's how I was able to play at senior level," he said.

"It's going to be different at SANFL and AFL level because the bodies are far bigger than in the senior competition I've played in, but I feel I can take the body contact and it's not too much of a big deal for me."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says his club will use pick No.8 to select Gippsland forward John Butcher with a view to eventually replacing club stalwart Warren Tredrea.

"I saw him play a few games and he needs to work on his kicking there's no doubt, but he can pick the ball up off the ground and he could develop into a really great forward," Williams said.

"He can take a contested mark. He jumps into packs and knocks people over."

Former Port Adelaide star Fabian Francis has been ordered to stand trial for rape.

Power fitness coach Cam Falloon says veteran Chad Cornes is over his knee injury and has had his best off-season in three years.

"He's done a lot of work and his body is sound. He's trimmed down a little bit and his knee is fantastic," Falloon said.

"Chad's very confident in his body. He put a lot of miles into his legs over the off-season and he's had no niggles. He's in a completely different place to the last few pre-seasons."

Hawthorn fails in its bid to lure Brendan Lade out of retirement to join them as a ruckman after Lade accepted a position as assistant coach of Richmond.

"It won't happen," Lade's manager Justin Reid said.

"You can quote me confidently that he will be coaching at Richmond and won't be coming out of retirement."

Wayne Carey admits to threatening umpire Darren Goldspink with violence in his new autobiography after being frustrated with negating tactics by Port Adelaide's Stephen Paxman.

"I called him a mongrel and a weak prick and everything in between. I totally lost my cool. 'Can't you see what's going on? He's not here to play football, he's trying to wrestle me to the ground. Is there any chance of a bit of protection just once today?''' Carey wrote in his book.

"In fact, he came back at me by saying, 'Get a kick, Carey. What are you f------- whingeing to me about'.

"That made me see red. It was bad enough that I wasn't being paid a free kick. But to have Goldspink start sledging me on top of that, well that was too much to bear. It was deadset on. I said to him: 'I'd bash you're f------- head in if I wasn't on this ground, you f----- weed.'"

Hawthorn recruit Shaun Burgoyne will have to watch his new teammates train from the sidelines with crutches as he completes his recovery from knee surgery.

"I wanted to get rid of it two weeks ago but the doctors made me keep it for precautionary reasons," he said.

"So I had six weeks on with two crutches and two weeks with one, but in terms of walking around and being pain free, I can do that normally but I was being precautionary and taking things a bit slower."

TAC Cup coach of the year Garry Hocking has joined Port Adelaide as a development coach.

"Garry's record of developing players at the Geelong Falcons is exceptional," Power football manager Peter Rohde said.

"We anticipate he will be very good for our younger players, which is certainly where we are putting our focus."

Port Adelaide has delisted Nick Lower, Jonathan Giles, Matthew Martin and Jesse Laurie while Daniel Stewart has been upgraded from the rookie list.

"Both Jon and Nick have been quality people to have around the footy club, and we thank them for that and wish them all the best," football operations manager Peter Rohde said of Giles and Lower.

Shaun Burgoyne says close ties with old Port heads now working for the Hawks that made Hawthorn an attractive option.

"I've got a good relationship with Clarko and a few of the other boys from Port (Adelaide) who are there now,'' he said.

"You look at their team, they've got great youth in the team and they've got some great senior players and I think they're going to have some success in the next few years.''

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says Campbell Brown was never offered to Port Adelaide in the trade for Shaun Burgoyne despite claims by the Power to the contrary.

"Sending out players of that quality - it affects the culture of your club too much and we weren't going to do that with five quality players in our footy club, who are just so important to our culture," Clarkson said.

"Campbell Brown is certainly one of those and you saw the reaction of our supporters and everyone involved in the football industry when Campbell was being [talked about] as part of the trade, because Port was really interested in getting him to their club, and fair enough too."

Only a two-hour mediation session involving three clubs and Shaun Burgoyne's management kept the former Power player's hopes of arriving at Hawthorn alive.

"To my recollection, this is the first one where we've actually ordered a mediation to take place," AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said.

"It's a real credit to the clubs involved that they were open-minded to the process of mediation, and participated in it in good faith and assisted them in coming to a solution."

Port Adelaide onballer Shaun Burgoyne will join Hawthorn next season as part of a four-club trade.

The deal will also sees Hawk forward Mark Williams sign a three-year deal with Essendon while Bomber Jay Nash moves to Port Adelaide.

Port Adelaide also receive two first-round draft picks: No.9 (from Hawthorn) and 16 (from Essendon, on-traded by Hawthorn).

Geelong, the fourth club involved in the trade, will swap draft pick 33 in exchange for three additional picks. The Cats took draft selections 40 and 56 from Port Adelaide, and 42 from Essendon.

Richmond's Jay Schulz will head to Port Adelaide in exchange for Mitch Farmer.

Port Adelaide football operations manager Peter Rohde says Hawthorn hadn't put Campbell Brown on its untouchable list for a Shaun Burgoyne deal and was thus approached by them.

Speculation that Brown had been offered for trade sparked a furore among Hawks supporters leading Hawthorn president to declare on SEN radio that Campbell had not, at any stage, been offered for trade.

"There were a group of players that were untouchable and if you look at Hawthorn's list you can figure out the most obvious ones. Other than that they were prepared to trade anyone off their list," Rohde said.

"We probably had a preference for a couple of players that were on Hawthorn's untouchable list, but it got to the start of this week and they made it pretty clear they weren't willing to trade a couple of players we were chasing. So we turned our attention to Campbell Brown and made contact with him."

Port Adelaide was interested in Campbell Brown as part of a deal for Shaun Burgoyne, but its approach has been denied after a lack of interest by Brown in moving to Alberton.

"Port Adelaide raised their interest in the versatile defender with Brown's management at Elite Sports Properties," a statement by Hawthorn read.

"However, Brown expressed his desire to stay at Hawthorn and he re-affirmed his commitment to the club in talks with club officials today."

Hawthorn's president says reports that the club has offered Campbell Brown as part of a trade deal for Port Adelaide's Shaun Burgoyne are not true.

"The story is wrong, wrong, wrong," Kennett said.

"Young Campbell is going nowhere - his future is with Hawthorn. His name wasn't offered up, so let's just get that absolutely factually clear."

After the first day of trade week, Power football operations manager Peter Rohde says the club will look elsewhere if an agreement cannot be made with Hawthorn in a trade for Shaun Burgoyne.

"We're confident things are moving in the right direction, but we're a fair way away from having it resolved," Rohde said.

"The problem is, as the week goes on, we can't afford to let time get out of the way.

"We'll be meeting again with Hawthorn in the next 24 hours and if it progresses, it progresses - if it doesn't, we're going to have to go elsewhere."

Trade week begins and Port Adelaide football manager Peter Rohde says although Shaun Burgoyne wants to head to Hawthorn, both team have not been close to an agreement yet.

"Obviously Shaun's indicated where he wants to go, but there's three parties that have to be involved in a trade - two clubs and a player," he said.

"We haven't moved very far in the last few days but we're hoping that once the clock starts ticking in trade week that we'll get somewhere."

In his first year since relinquishing the captaincy, Warren Tredrea has won Port Adelaide's best and fairest finishing 3 votes ahead of runner up Kane Cornes.

"I thought I was washed up two years ago, so to win this is a huge honour," Tredrea said.

Shaun Burgoyne has informed Port Adelaide he would prefer to be traded to Hawthorn.

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says he is pleased to have Dean Laidley join the Power's coaching panel.

"I was desperate to try and get Dean to come," Williams said.

"We have great assistant coaches but in the scheme of trying to improve we wanted to get Dean, who has not only been an outstanding senior coach but also an outstanding assistant coach.

"He will challenge us and the way we actually play. There's a whole lot of things that are in Dean's coaching that aren't in ours.

Former North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley will be in charge of strategy and innovation at the Power next season after taking up an assistant role at Port Adelaide.

In addition, Laidley will also be aiding Matthew Primus in coaching the midfield on match days.

Jesper Fjeldstad reports that Shaun Burgoyne's exit from the Power has its origins in player friction that developed as a result of the 2007 grand final disaster.

The Bombers have met with Power's Shaun Burgoyne's management in a bid to entice him to join their club.

"Shaun wants to move to Melbourne and we are one of the three clubs that he has expressed an interest in joining," Essendon general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said.

"Naturally there is plenty to discuss and work through and we will just have to wait and see if he wants to come to the Bombers and if we can secure a suitable deal."

Port Adelaide has re-signed Danyle Pearce, Warren Tredrea, Michael Pettigrew, Tom Logan and Matthew Lobbe to new deals.

"From a personal point of view I was satisfied with my form and fitness this year and I can't wait to start pre-season and build towards 2010," Tredrea said.

"I'm also looking forward to helping with the development our young players, who really are the core of our playing group now."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says he will not accept a bargain price in a trade for his star midfielder Shaun Burgoyne after speculation that Hawthorn would offer its pick at No. 9 in the national draft.

"History will show that Chris Judd cost Carlton pick No.3 as well as Josh Kennedy, so I wouldn't think that pick No.9 would be a good match," Williams wrote on the AFL website.

"I'm not interested in a blue-sky pick. The team that gets him will be very, very lucky. Shaun Burgoyne is a very determined person."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says Brendon Lade's decision to become an assistant coach at Punt Road is a good move for the recently-retired ruckman.

"Ladey was a little unsure as to whether he would be ready to go straight away, but I know he's ready and within a second he'll prove that," Williams said.

"He has great knowledge of the game and has a personable way about him. He's a lot of fun."

Hawthorn say they are willing to offer high draft picks for Shaun Burgoyne who has walked out on the Power and hope that familiar faces in the Hawks coaching staff and administration will sway him towards them.

"We expressed our interest to last week that if Shaun makes a move we'd be very happy to get him to Hawthorn," Hawks personnel manager Chris Pelchen said.

"We're definitely interested in Shaun and we'd love to put forward our case.

"The previous relationships that are there, whether it be myself who drafted him, (fitness coach) Andrew Russell or (senior coach) Alastair Clarkson, we're hoping they are a positive."

Melbourne, Hawthorn and Essendon all told they are on shortlist of clubs Shaun Burgoyne wants to speak to.

'Shaun has had interest from roughly half the AFL clubs, but we have shortlisted three clubs who he has interest in having further chats with to see where they are going as clubs. We have told those clubs and will meet with them in the next few days,'' Burgoyne's manager Ben Williams said.

Port Adelaide football manager Peter Rohde says the club is still hopeful Shaun Burgoyne will stay with the Power.

"The Shaun Burgoyne decision has come as a bit of a revelation to us, but he's got his reasons for wanting to go," Rohde said.

"We'll make sure we do the right thing by the club and at the moment Shaun's a required player."

"Clearly Shaun's expressed a view that he would like to move, but we'll have to go through trade week and see what unfolds before we know what the final outcome will be."

Port Adelaide will demand quality players in return for gifted playmaker Shaun Burgoyne, who has quit the club.

"The club is disappointed and we'll do our best to talk him out of it," Power chief executive Mark Haysman told ABC radio in Adelaide.

"If not, we'll try and facilitate a move and get the best player or players in return."

Power assistant coach Matthew Primus has re-signed with the club for two more years.

"It is really a changing of the guard at Port Adelaide," Primus said.

"It is often overlooked that we have turned over our list more than any other club in the past three years."

"We are developing our next generation. It will take patience, there is plenty of work to do, and there will be frustrations along the way, but we know we are on the right track."

Port Adelaide's Shaun Burgoyne wants to leave the club to play with a Victorian team.

"Shaun Burgoyne and his manager informed us this morning that he would like to be traded to a Melbourne-based club. At this stage no particular club has been identified," Port Adelaide football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"Our position is that Shaun is a required player and that he will only be traded if a favourable trade for the Port Adelaide Football Club is forthcoming."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says the club needs Shaun Burgoyne but understands his vice-captain wants time to weigh up his future.

"He knows how much we need him and we love him. Hopefully, he decides to stay," Williams said.

Power coach Mark Williams says Dean Laidley had been offered a strategy and innovation role at the club.

"Dean has done some great stuff, which he can offer to us and also challenge us in what we do and how we do it. Speaking to the other coaches, they're excited to think that Dean might come here," Williams said.

Port Adelaide midfielders Shaun Burgoyne and Steven Salopek have undergone post-season surgery.

Burgoyne had corrective surgery to clean up cartilage damage in his left knee, which is expected to limit his pre-season training up until Christmas.

Salopek had reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder which he damaged in the round-seven match against North Melbourne.

Port Adelaide defender Jacob Surjan excited about his future with the club after signing a new 3-year contract with them.

"I'm very happy to be staying at Port Adelaide," Surjan said.

"With the recent retirements of experienced players, I'm looking forward to taking the next step in my development and becoming a leader here at the club.

"With such an exciting young list I'm very confident that the club is heading in the right direction. The decision to stay here at Port Adelaide was a pretty easy one in the end."

Dean Laidley emerges as a potential successor to Mark Williams at Port Adelaide, sought as effectively a match-day coach.

''I've spoken to Mark several times about it over the last few weeks, and I'm going over there to sit down with him and the others to see how it's all going to work,'' Laidley said.

Port Adelaide defender Toby Thurstans has announced his retirement.

"I simply don't think I have enough left in me to get through another season," Thurstans said.

"The mental and physical rigours of an AFL season demand so much, and I am not the sort of person who is going to go on unless I think I can contribute 100 per cent."