Port Adelaide a ‘way of life’ for Tredrea

Warren Tredrea has been inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame; a four-time All-Australian Tredrea booted 549 goals for Port Adelaide.

Warren Tredrea celebrates a match-winning goal right on the siren against Richmond at AAMI Stadium in 2009. Source: News Limited

WARREN Tredrea's place in Port Adelaide football history is like the club's ambitious story to reach the AFL from suburbia.

The local kid followed his father — former Collingwood half-forward Gary Tredrea — to Alberton, collected the autographs of his Port Adelaide heroes, became a Magpies' SANFL league premiership player and held off lodging his AFL draft form to ensure he was on the Power inaugural list.

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And then Tredrea almost walked out to any of Collingwood, Carlton and Sydney simply because he was growing beyond suburban dreams to be a true professional in the AFL ... and Port Adelaide was not.

Tredrea fact file. Source: FoxSports

Mark Williams' appointment as Power coach at the end of 1998 ensured Tredea's boyhood dream continued ... all the way to being Port Adelaide's first AFL premiership captain and first all-Power member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

"History says I tried to leave when I did not think I was going to get the opportunities at Port Adelaide," Tredrea said.

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"That would have been tough, particularly when I wanted my name on a locker for playing 100 games. No-one can take that from you," added Tredrea who almost forfeited the honour.

"You don't understand how hard that would have been unless you are one of the tribe of Port Adelaide people. For me it has been Port Adelaide all my life — and I am Port, my whole family is Port.

"It is a way of life. It is tribal. It means you go to the club — and you belong. That is the one thing that I always cherish — I held up the cup in the SANFL and AFL for the club I love. I fulfilled my dream.

Tredrea gets his boot on the ball for a snap at goal despite pressure from Michael Rischitelli. Source: News Limited

"On the Thursday night before the 1990 grand final, when I was 11, I would not leave the changerooms — and threw a tantrum — because I did not have every players' signature on my poster. Dad had to get Roger Delaney out of the bath to sign the poster so we could go home and Dad could pick the team with the rest of the selectors."

Less than a decade later when Tredrea was one of the new-age heroes at Alberton as a Power player, he was prepared to throw away all that emotional investment in Port Adelaide to follow another dream of being a professional AFL player with a manic approach to his preparation and game.

With Scott Cummings and Darryl Poole commanding the key forward roles at Alberton, Tredrea looked elsewhere.

Tredrea takes a strong mark. Source: News Limited

"I entertained offers; I met with Carlton heavyweights at Princes Park; I asked to me traded in my own home," Tredrea recalled.

"Then Mark Williams came in (as coach) and we were made professional instantly. The game was changing — and I was not the only player in that boat looking elsewhere before his appointment. Peter Burgoyne was thinking of leaving. And Chad Cornes.

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"The following year I was out of contract and I met (Collingwood president) Eddie McGuire, Sydney flew to town and Carlton were still interested in getting a trade done. Geof Motley, my manager, had three offers and the Port Adelaide offer. He said, go away and sleep on it.

"I felt it was not happening at Port. But a new coach comes in and says, 'Centre half-forward is yours to lose'. For a kid who is 18 years of age, has had a break-out game (with eight goals against Carlton at Princes Park in 1998) and played well, I suddenly felt I belonged.

Tredrea launches himself at the ball to take a cracking mark. Source: News Limited

"Port Adelaide's offer was more than I was worth — I was being paid on potential. It was not the telephone numbers of the other clubs' offers. I wanted to be that player who played a position — and my coach was going, 'Here it is'. It was a no brainer to stay.

"It took six months to come to a head — and then it took two minutes to decide."

By the time Tredrea's AFL career ended — in pain from each of his knees being damaged twice — the boyhood dream closed with Tredrea holding the Power's games (255) and goals (549) record and having led the club to its first AFL premiership.

And along the way Tredrea established a reputation as a demanding professional.

"I was scared of failing," Tredrea said. "I worked that hard. I look back now and think I was so inflexible. I can see why some people thought I was too professional and needed to relax more.
"I learned my greatest lessons when I was injured. You can do whatever you want — and sometimes things are out of your control. But you can work hard to get the best possible scenario for yourself.

"It was the way I got the best out of myself. In hindsight, would have I done anything different? I got the results. In my mindset, that is what I needed to do to perform."

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