Port Adelaide’s most successful coach John Cahill says the Power’s time has to be now
Port Adelaide’s inaugural AFL coach John Cahill said the club needs to make its mark on the field in its 150th anniversary season.
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Port Adelaide’s most successful coach John Cahill says the club’s 150th anniversary season in 2020 “has to be their year” on the field.
The Port legend, who guided the club to 10 SANFL premierships and was the Power’s inaugural AFL coach, said he believed a squad that could challenge had been assembled at Alberton – now it needed to make its mark on the field.
“The club now it’s there, it is ready to go again, and it has to be their year,” he told The Advertiser.
“Lets hope it all happens this year.
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“They have recruited really well, we have a good squad now we have to put it on the field.”
Ahead of Port’s gala dinner tonight, as part of its 150th year anniversary, Cahill and the Power’s other AFL coaches – Premiership winning Mark Williams and Matthew Primus – addressed the playing group before training at Alberton.
The three were at the helm for some of the good, the great and not so positive times in the recent history of Port Adelaide.
For Williams, who guided the Power to the 2004 flag, it was the first time he had been back at Alberton “for about 10 years”.
“With John and Matty Primus being here as well it is a nice connection between the past and present with, with the 150th it is important to honour those connections,” he said.
“There are actually still four players on the list when I drafted them (Travis) Boak, (Hamish) Hartlett, (Justin) Westhoff and Robbie Gray.”
It was the first time Primus had been back at Alberton since Tom Jonas and Ollie Wines were announced as co-captains before the 2019 season.
He said he told the playing group what Port Adelaide means to so many people, including himself.
“There seems to be a really good feel for the club at the moment, they have a core group of senior players and a really good mix of youngsters,” he said.
“These guys will create their own history but just what this club means to people and what it can mean to them.”
Cahill admitted the state of the facilities at Alberton had him wishing he was a youngster again.
“We had nothing like this, we probably had $200 bucks worth of gym gear under the main grandstand I look at this and think you’d love to be young again to have these facilities and you’d want to train,” he said.
The Port legend said he could see “desire” among the playing group for success.
“(I told them) to just enjoy what you do, if you enjoy what you do it doesn’t matter what sport or business you are in you will be good at it … it reflects,” he said.
“Don’t underestimate how good you can be, you have to challenge yourself.”