PORT Adelaide forward Jay Schulz has signed a contract extension with the Power.
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Schulz, 26, has kicked 55 goals from 25 games since arriving at Alberton at the start of 2010 after he was traded from Richmond in the 2009 AFL exchange period.
Schulz had previously played 71 games for the Tigers, kicking 58 goals after initially being recruited as a first round selection (No. 12 overall) in the 2002 AFL draft.
Port Adelaide Football Operations Manager Peter Rohde says the Club is delighted to have re-secured the signature of Schulz.
“Since Jay arrived at the Club at the end of 2009 his attitude and work ethic have been outstanding,” Rohde said.
“He sets a great standard with the way he trains and prepares himself each week and that has been reflective in his consistent form.
“Obviously he’s a very important part of our forward structure, not only through his goal kicking ability, but through his capacity to lead by example and assist the younger players in our forward line. So we’re delighted that Jay has re-committed to the Club.”
Schulz says that he’s enjoyed his time at Alberton and is thrilled to be continuing his career at Port Adelaide.
“I’ve absolutely loved playing footy here at Port Adelaide, even though we’ve had a couple of challenging seasons,” Schulz said.
“But I have great belief in Matty’s (Senior Coach Matthew Primus) direction and where he’s taking this playing group. This has been evident in parts of games this season and we just have to continue to develop our group so that we can maintain a consistent performance over a longer period during games. I am very confident though that we’re on the right track.”
Schulz says that he has received great direction from the coaching group at Alberton which has fast tracked his development as a key forward.
“I have had wonderful support from the coaching group since I arrived at the Club,” Schulz said.
“I thank Choco (former coach Mark Williams) for getting me over to the Club last year and giving me the opportunity to play here at Port Adelaide.
“Cripper (Assistant coach Jason Cripps) as my Forward Coach last season taught me more about my role in six months than I had previously learnt across my whole career and current Forward Coach Buddha Hocking (Garry Hocking) has such a great football brain and has also been an enormous influence on my development this year.
“And I’m thoroughly enjoying my role in the young leadership group at Port Adelaide and I look forward to repaying the Club for the fantastic support it has given me over the last couple of seasons.”
