Port Adelaide‘s Jase Burgoyne on his big off-season changes, family and hopes for 2024
Jase Burgoyne had the talent. But Port Adelaide coaches wanted to see changes in other areas. This is how the son of a gun made the big moves that has him primed for a breakout campaign.
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With a spot on the wing opening up, at the end of last season Jase Burgoyne had a couple of areas that he needed to work on.
One was putting on some strength and size, pretty straightforward for the Port Adelaide youngster who at the start of 2023 weighed 70kg with his 186cm tall frame.
The second was a lot harder.
Since the 20-year-old son of 2004 premiership winner Peter was selected by the Power as a father-son pick in 2021 he has had his intensity and body-language questioned.
Easygoing by nature, it was an area that Burgoyne didn’t quite know how to address.
Did he have to rile himself up before he took to the field? How could he show coaches that he did have intensity and was interested?
All he knew was that if he wanted to put his best foot forward for a place in the team, something needed to change.
“When I would play they would say I would look like I am not interested, so I guess I had to go away and come back with better body language and a bit more professionalism as well,” he said.
“I feel like I have come a fair way and my intensity is a lot better than it was.
“And that is a bit where it starts for me, if my intensity is good then I am playing well and if it is not then I am a bit all over the shop.
“So that is what I went away and focused the most over the off-season.
“I guess it was a hard one for me over the first couple of years when they would say it looks like you aren’t trying, you are just moping around.
“Because I thought I was trying and then they showed me the vision and I would get it but when I was playing or training I would have to almost give myself a bit of white-line fever even though I don’t really have it.
“So just positive body language, being up and about. It was a bit hard to address because I didn’t really know how to.
“I went away and tried to make myself a bit more angry, so I would play with some more intent.
“They said it looked like I was playing at 50 per cent so I needed to make sure it looked like I was playing with 100 per cent whenever I stepped on the field.
“So I had to go a bit extra with it.”
While Burgoyne missed out on the Power’s famous win over Geelong in Geelong with a minor groin strain, his new approach to his intensity and his body language has paid off so far in 2024.
He has already played the most games of his three-year career so far, seven, and had his three best performances at AFL level in Round 5 against Fremantle, Round 6 against Collingwood and Round 7 against St Kilda.
“I think it can be somewhat of a breakout year for me, coming into the year I put a lot of work into the off-season,” he said.
“I worked really hard and it is good to finally see some results now.
“I wasn’t picked in Round 1, which was lit a bit of a fire under my belly to cement myself in the team when I did come in.
“I got in and then I was dropped down to the sub a couple of times but once I got my opportunity again I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t slip.
“It has been really good for me, I’m building confidence and continuity in my body as well so hopefully I can keep improving for the year because I think I have a lot to give.
“I had finished off my first year really well and had a lot of confidence in my body and I had a little bit of an interrupted pre-season after that.
“So coming into my second year that impacted second year as a whole, I wasn’t able to play consistent games and we went on that winnings streak so it was always going to be hard to break into the team and when I did I was straight back out to the SANFL.
“So confidence was a bit down and once that year ended and (Xavier) Duursma requested a trade (to Essendon) and that wing spot was open I just knew that I had to take it.
“That was sort of the moment for me, I feel that I have so much to give to this football club and when the off-season started I worked my arse off to make sure I had that wing spot locked down.”
There is not just expectation on Burgoyne from himself.
The other big part of his off-season was him assuming the No. 7 guernsey after Duursma’s departure.
It was the number that Peter wore for much of his 240-game career for the Power, including the 2004 premiership.
But more significantly for fans it was the one that the club’s greatest ever player Russell Ebert wore during his legendary career at Alberton.
“I’m grateful that the club gave me the number,” Burgoyne said.
“It got to a stage where I thought I wouldn’t get it.
“There is the expectation and for the fans it is a special number but I haven’t really felt any extra pressure wearing it to be honest.
“But to be able to represent Russell, dad and my family has been really good. It definitely looks a lot better than 36 (his previous number).”
Peter is a constant sounding board for Burgoyne, although this year “he is leaving me a bit more to my own devices and seeing if I can figure things out” when it comes to footy.
“I have figured it out, which is good but he is always there for me when I need him or to get any advice about footy,” he said.
At Alberton, four-time premiership winning uncle Shaun is at the club to help.
“We have worked really closely this year and in pre-season and it has worked really well so far,” he said.
“So I am really thankful for both of them.”
The Burgoyne presence at Alberton has grown slightly this year with Shaun’s son Kai - who is also father-son eligible for Hawthorn - recently making his debut for the Magpies in the SANFL.
Burgoyne’s younger brother Rome will also play some games for the Magpies when his under 18 state commitments finish later this year.
Brimming with talent, he is tipped to follow in Jase and older brother Trent’s footsteps and be selected as a father-son by the Power this year.
“I haven’t been able to get down and watch him because of overlapping times and stuff but he has told me he is going well and he is probably in the same boat as me when I was coming through in my draft year playing a bit of half-back, and being a bit of a utility,” he said.
“He needs to keep working at it make sure he doesn’t get too complacent and I am sure he will find himself on an AFL list at the end of the year.
“Kai just made his debut with the magpies and has been around the club, and Rome has been around the club as well.
“When I can help them I will because I have been in the same position coming through
“It will be good to see Rome play for the Magpies at the end of the year when his state stuff is done and see how he fits into the whole scheme of things.
“But it is a big step going from 18s to AFL but I am sure they can both do it, they have looked good so far.”
It normally is, but over the next two weeks family and Burgoyne’s heritage - he is a proud Kokatha man from the west of South Australia and Larrakia and Warai from the Northern Territory - comes even more to the front of mind.
Port Adelaide will change its name to Yartapuulti for its clashes against Hawthorn on Sunday at Adelaide Oval and then against North Melbourne in Hobart next week.
Burgoyne said it was a special couple of weeks for him and his Indigenous brothers.
“All the Indigenous boys at the club we are always happy when it is Indigenous round and we have a bit of a pep in our step,” he said.
“We are just so happy that every year we have an opportunity to celebrate everyone who came before us.”
When it comes to Burgoyne and his knowledge of his heritage and culture, grandfather Peter Senior is the big driver.
“Everything I know from my culture has come from him pretty much and I am really close to him and he is really big in my life,” he said.
“He is always teaching my language or anything else that is involved with the culture, it comes from him.
“I can’t speak fluently but I know a few words, it is also good having the cousins around a lot so I can speak a bit with them.
“I can’t thank him enough because probably without him my identify would be a bit lost, he can speak fluently so he is wanting to pass that down to his grandkids.”
And over the Christmas break Burgoyne, his dad, brothers and uncle Waylon Johncock, got back to country.
“We went down Ceduna ways and we went hunting, camping, fishing, just reconnecting with the roots,” he said.
“I had not done that for a while, so that was really good for me, my brothers and my dad to reconnect with our culture.
“It is always good fun, it was pretty cold and we were going spearfishing in our shorts and that so we felt the cold and we weren’t able to go in every day.
“My uncle was however and he was doing most of the work and spearing every day.
“And with hunting kangaroos it was good fun, it was my first time really doing it so I really enjoyed it.
“We got a fair few, maybe around 10 or 12. There was so much meat that we left in the freezer so I’m sure dad is still using it now.
“That was what all my ancestors were doing back in the day, hunting, camping, fishing and that.
“So to see how they lived off the land was pretty cool.
“I would like to get back there more when the off-season is done but it gives me such a greater view of life when I get down there.”
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