Port Adelaide captain Steven Summerton hints at playing on in SANFL next season

Port Adelaide captain Steven Summerton is chasing his childhood dream of leading the club to the SANFL premiership.

Port Adelaide’s Steven Summerton. Picture: Calum Robertson

SPECULATION has been rife in the lead up to Sunday’s grand final Port Adelaide captain Steven Summerton will pull the pin on his career, especially if his side conquers Sturt at Adelaide Oval.

However, the ball magnet didn’t offer that impression yesterday when he said he had given little thought to football beyond this season.

In fact, Summerton said he hoped to repeat this year’s contract deal and sign another one-year agreement to stay at Alberton.

“I’m still enjoying my footy,” Summerton said. “We will see what happens tomorrow (today), but at this stage I’m planning on playing again.”

This will be Summerton’s second grand final with Port, having been a member of the 2014 side when it became the Power reserves and was beaten by Norwood.

He has already achieved his ambition to play for the club, while he considers the captaincy as an absolute honour. Now the final dream is to be a premiership player with Port.

That is how it has been since he was a kid standing on the Alberton terraces with his parents and older brothers idolising the likes of Scott Hodges and Tim Ginever.

“Port hardly lost a game back then and were winning premierships every second year,” he said. “Times have definitely changed, but we are due to win one.

“Ask any player and it is not about the individual stuff, everyone wants to win a premiership. I’ve not been lucky enough to do that yet, so that is the one thing I’m really chasing.”

Summerton will toss the coin with close mate and Double Blues captain Zane Kirkwood. He said they will probably exchange a cheeky grin, but then is will be all about business.

“We’ve sent a little message to each other this week just joking around,” Summerton said. “He is a great mate and will be for life.”

Summerton, who amasses possessions in the midfield, spent time in the reserves this season because of the Power’s limited injury list and the SANFL rules governing the AFL-listed players in the state league competition.