NEWLY re-appointed Port Adelaide skipper Warren Tredrea believes the club has found the right “mix” of players to lead the Power in 2008.
On Wednesday the Port Adelaide coaching staff ratified the players’ decision to re-elect Tredrea and also gave the nod to vice-captains Brendon Lade, Chad Cornes and Shaun Burgoyne.
Lade, Cornes and Burgoyne will all continue their roles from 2007, while sidelined veteran Michael Wilson has been relieved of his duty as a vice-captain as he recovers from an achilles injury.
However, Wilson remains in the seven-man leadership group, which also includes Kane Cornes and Dom Cassisi who rejoin the group after a year out.
Tredrea was honoured to be re-appointed captain, but said the other six leaders in the team would play an equally important role in 2008.
“It’s pleasing and I’m proud and obviously honoured to be able to captain again, but as it comes back to the guys that support me,” he said.
“They are just as influential as I am - I toss the coin, that’s probably the only difference.
“I’m not playing down the role - it’s a great honour and I love doing it - but the facts are that the Port Adelaide Football Club is more important than the one person who does the [captaincy] job.
“I’m pretty confident that the six other players who are supporting me will do everything right and will set the best example for such a young list. We saw last year what a young list can do and we fell short in the Grand Final.”
The seven leaders range in age from 31-year-old Lade, to Kane Cornes, who has just turned 25.
“Brendon, Chad, Shaun, Kane, Dom and Michael all show leadership off the field as well as on it and they’re all different,” Tredrea said.
“They all add to our mix slightly and amongst the 40-odd players I think this leadership group covers all the [types of] players.
“To say that myself as captain gets along with every single player, it doesn’t happen, because we all have different personalities.
“We all have certain areas where we click and don’t click and I think within, not only the four guys here, but with the seven guys in the leadership group all up; we cover a vast majority of the playing group.
“If there is one guy out of that seven that a young guy can talk to comfortably then it’s a success.”
The captaincy at Alberton has always been a year-by-year proposition and Tredrea’s situation no different.
The four-time All-Australian will retain the captaincy for 2008, but 2009 could be a different story.
Chad Cornes, 28, has been touted as a future captain as has the younger Burgoyne brother, Shaun.
Coach Mark Williams said the next Port Adelaide captain wouldn’t “necessarily” come from within the current leadership group.
“Chad and Shaun are certainly outstanding candidates,” Williams said.
“Then there’s Brendon Lade, who is a bit older, but is one of the best leaders at our club. There are also some other younger guys coming through, so we’ll wait and see.”
