NEW Port Adelaide assistant coach Jarrad Schofield says a behind-the-scenes experience at the Power’s remarkable last-minute Showdown win helped convince him to re-join the club.
The Port Adelaide premiership player’s return was announced this week, almost 14 years to the day since he helped guide the club to its first AFL flag.
Joining him will be his premiership teammate and 2000 John Cahill Medallist Brett Montgomery with each signing on for three years.
Schofield was much sought after within the AFL ranks after guiding Subiaco to five consecutive WAFL grand finals, including three premierships, in his six years at the helm but he says it just felt right to come back to Alberton.
“The close relationship I had with the club, obviously being a former premiership player and I spent six years of my career there,” he told the sports show on Adelaide radio station FIVEaa.
“I just felt also that the way that we finished (at Subiaco) this year, to win all three grades and 12 months ago I felt we had unfinished business after losing the 2017 Grand Final to Peel.
“I was just super proud to go through the season undefeated and I had the full backing of my family, my wife and my two children, so I just saw it as the right time to step forward and take on a new journey.”
Schofield spent a week in Adelaide in May when the West Australian state team played South Australia and he was invited into the Power rooms during the memorable Showdown win over Adelaide in Round 8.
“It was a fantastic game and I was very fortunate that Ken allowed me into the inner sanctum of their line meetings and their match committee and I just spent some time seeing what happens behind closed doors in the AFL ranks,” he said.
“It really opened my eyes to
“I could see straight away that the dynamics of the coaching group were strong, the playing group was strong and I wanted to be a part of it.”
But the 43-year-old had other things to consider before making his move.
He was concerned about uprooting his family, especially his son Taj who is part of the Port Adelaide Football Club Father-Son Next Generation Academy, and eligible to be drafted in 2020.
“I didn’t want to put undue pressure on him,” Schofield revealed.
“He’s in a really good space at the moment with his footy, a premiership player in our colts (at Subiaco) and played state football, All-Australian honours, all those accolades that come along with it but it was very unsettling to think that I might put him out of his comfort zone.
“Being part of the father-son academy, he gets that opportunity to rub shoulders with the boys that are there… it’s very exciting for him, he knows there are no guarantees in life and he’s got to work hard but he’s got a fantastic opportunity over the next two years to put his case forward.
“If he got drafted by Port Adelaide he’d be rapt but at the same time if not, he’ll go anywhere.”
Schofield also revealed he would become Port Adelaide’s midfield coach, taking over from Michael Voss who would take on a different role.
He said he was particularly excited about working with midfield development coach Scott Thompson and midfield leaders Travis Boak, Ollie Wines, and Tom Rockliff to help get the best out of the Power’s talented list.
As to his style, Schofield says he wants to give players
“If anyone relates to how I used to play, I do have a bit of flair in that space where I want the blokes to play on instinct,” he said.
“They are footballers, you can’t make them play like robots.
“I’m very big on the other side of the game - what we do when we don’t have the ball and that’s where our level of standards within our game has seen us stay at the top.”
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