PORT ADELAIDE forward Charlie Dixon has issued an ominous warning to opposition defenders that he has plenty of good footy left in him.
The big forward on Wednesday recommitted to the club, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract extension which will tie him to Alberton until the end of 2023.
The 29-year-old admitted he fell out of love with the game after suffering a horrific leg injury late in 2018, which caused him to miss most of last season, but said his body was in great shape and he was now excited about the future.
“The club put some faith in me in 2015 and I just want to repay that in the coming three years,” he said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“I love this club and at the end of the day it was a pretty easy decision for me.
“I’ve made Adelaide my home now and it’s my family.
“I did think about some other options but at the end of the day it didn’t feel right – the right fit for me is here at Port Adelaide.”
The Cairns product has booted 239 career goals in 148 career games including 27 in 13 games so far in 2020.
But he admitted when he first came to Adelaide after a trade from Gold Coast, he struggled both with the cooler climate and the increased media attention.
“Over my last couple of years the club’s been enormous for me and they’ve helped me a whole lot, not just in my football but in other areas in my off-field stuff,” he explained.
“My first couple of years here, my first winter coming from Queensland, it seemed like it was raining every day, maybe I’ll just do my five years and then retire and go back to Queensland but I’ve fallen in love with Adelaide and I can’t see myself living anywhere else.
“I love Adelaide, I love the people, I love the club and like I said, they’re my family and it made the decision really easy because the lads I’ve got around me, the coaches and just the football club in general and our fans as well.
“I’m just looking forward to the future and the future is the next few weeks and trying to win that premiership.”
The leg injury he suffered, which included a fractured fibula, sidelined him for the best part of a year and had him concerned about being able to play at the level again.
But having overcome the injury and the doubts, Dixon is in close to career-best form and enjoying the game again.
“I haven’t enjoyed my football for a number of years, it felt like a job for me, where I was coming in, ticking a box and leaving,” Dixon said.
“I love this football club and I love football. I’ve fallen back in love with the game and I’m able to enjoy football and I think that comes with me being away from the group with my injury and then pulling myself away from the group as well.
“I wanted to give myself the best chance, give my body time to recover properly and I’ve got genuine confidence in my body, and I love playing.
“Sometimes I seem pretty angry and frustrated out there – that’s just who I am – I want to win and I’m a massive competitor.
“Winning becomes everything for you… and I think there’s a lot of upside to this footy club and we’ve got the chance to do something special this year.”
In the off-season, Dixon trekked to the Red Bull Academy in California with Travis Boak.
The big man said he was inspired by the extra work Boak put in to get the most out of his body, and it was now paying dividends for him.
“My durability is there. I’ve been a bit unlucky with a few high-impact injuries – that’s just the way I play and I’m not going to change that.
“Confidence is everything in this sport and I feel good and that’s the main thing.
“I think I’ve got a lot of football in me. I’ve shown this year that my body’s been able to cope with the shortened game-spans with the four-day breaks and things and I’m just excited to be around the club for the next three years.”
