Former Port Adelaide player Shaun Burgoyne celebrates the 2013 premiership with Hawthorn. The players Power gained for his trade are about to come of age. Picture: George Salpigtidis. Source: Salpigtidis George / News Limited
SHAUN Burgoyne's parting gift to Port Adelaide is ready to be unwrapped.
Five years after the premiership midfielder became a trade target for Hawthorn, then Power recruiting manager Blair Hartley's equally strategic use of the three top-20 draft picks - two delivered by Burgoyne - is ready to pay off.
In a game with no quick fixes, Port Adelaide on Sunday opens the 2014 AFL premiership season with all three 2009 draftees carrying important roles in coach Ken Hinkley's on-field program. Key forward John Butcher (call No. 8) has to answer the Power's need for a tall forward to work alongside Jay Schulz and the versatile Justin Westhoff.
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Andrew Moore may be externally undervalued in a league that has the critics rate midfielders on statistics.
But within the inner circle at Alberton no-one underestimates the 22-year-old's toughness or appetite for the contested footy - and standing up in brutal clinches.
And defender Jasper Pittard has finally made it through a pre-season physically - and with a form line that makes him a critical part of the Power's defensive game ... and allows Hinkley to rely on Pittard while committing Matthew Broadbent and Brad Ebert to the important midfield rotations.
It may have taken five years for Hartley's investment in youth to pay-off, but the return could make his 2009 draft plan a critical cornerstone of Port's next premiership challenge.
Pittard is 22, as are Butcher and Moore.
He has played 31 games. And he has learned plenty in his demanding apprenticeship.
"From the day I got to the club to now, I've certainly learned a lot," Pittard said.
Port Adelaide's class of 2009, from left, Jasper Pittard, then coach Mark Williams, Andrew Moore and John Butcher.
"I was probably immature when I got here.
"I loved my football, but I did not really know the kind of work you have to put in 100 per cent of the time to be a great player.
"There is a difference between wanting to be a good player - and then wanting to be a great player in a winning team.
"Once you appreciate how much work it takes to make that leap, the path becomes easier.
"Managing my body has been a huge lesson for me.
"But really it is hard work that gets you through. From year one to now, my workload has increased each year. I've now found a level that I need to do all the time."
Butcher, Moore and Pittard all arrived at Alberton in the summer of 2009-10 with one common bond - they were Victorians drafted to a football club they hardly knew.
"We also all had slower starts with injury - and with the team (struggling), it was going to be hard for us to find our feet (in the AFL)," Pittard recalls.
"But those initial tough years brought us together. All three of us have been under pressure - at times - to produce.
"We were all high draft picks and supporters expect much when you carry that tag ... but sometimes it takes time."
The Hinkley influence - in particular the faith the senior coach shows in young talent - has ensured Pittard, Butcher and Moore are now primed for their time in the toughest football competition in the land.
"We've learned what Ken wants from us individually - and we know what he expects from us," Pittard said. "But his faith also makes you want to work hard.
"Knowing what is expected from us makes us more comfortable.
"Some guys will come into the AFL and pick it up quickly - but others will take longer because of injury or opportunity or needing that time to adapt.
But once you learn what to do - on and off the field - that is when you start to find the form you want and the consistency you need in the AFL."
Hinkley arrived at Alberton 17 months ago inheriting a young playing group needing not only a coach with a vision - but a father figure with strong principles.
He made the difference between Parker picking great talent and the Power developing sound AFL players.
"Ken is hard on me, he keeps me on my toes and honest but he always backs me in,' Pittard said.
"There were times last year when I had a couple of poor games and he brought me in the office and he instilled confidence in me.
"In the past I've been prone to getting down in the dumps.
"Ken has taught me to brush the mistakes aside and worry about the next contest and the next game and how I can get better."
Pittard's cunning read of the play has made him such a promising part of the Port defensive system for this season.
The more often Hinkley can rely on Pittard to cut opposition plays, the more often the Power can get use Brad Ebert and Matthew Broadbent in midfield rotations.
But there is the risk factor with Pittard who will never die guessing by taking chances, some that work against him.
"You are always going to make mistakes," Pittard says.
"It is about limiting those mistakes - and with more experience you learn when and when not to pull the trigger.
"I'm still learning that, but Ken wants to me continue with that but be smarter."
Pittard last week was part of the four-man roll-out - along with Ollie Wines, Justin Westhoff and Cam O'Shea - of Power players committing to new deals at Alberton.
"It was pretty simple," Pittard says of his decision to sign a three-year extension.
"In the past 18 months there have been so many important changes made around the club that it is easy to get the sense of direction we are taking.
"Those three years before the changes were still a valuable learning experience for me - and the rest of the group. Why would you leave when the club is building momentum? You don't want to miss out on that.
"I don't want to be back in Victoria looking across the border and wondering did I make the right decision to leave?"
CLASS OF 2009
PORT Adelaide recruiting manager Blair Hartley went to the 2009 AFL national draft loaded with the No. 8 draft pick after the Power's collapse from grand finalist in 2007 to 10th in 2009 - and picks Nos. 9 and 16 traded by Hawthorn for premiership midfielder Shaun Burgoyne.
The players called by Parker are now primed to shine in coach Ken Hinkley's plan to build a premiership squad at Alberton.
No. 8 JOHN BUTCHER
KEY forward who already commands some of the game's best defenders - and the seemingly never-ending script about his dodgy kicking from set shots in front of goal. Dubbed "The Future", Butcher is now aged 22, has made it through his longest pre-season program and this season is capable of doubling his 20-game count.
No. 9 ANDREW MOORE
MIDFIELDER who lives up to the theme of being "tough as teak". Of the three 2009 draftees, Moore has played the most AFL games - 41. The 22-year-old lives up to coach Ken Hinkley's vision for midfielders carrying insatiable appetites for tacking and contested football.
No. 16 JASPER PITTARD
SWEEPING defender who signed three-year contract extension last week. Has finally made it through a pre-season without injury setbacks - and that strong grounding has allowed Pittard to cement himself as a critical part of Port Adelaide's defensive patterns. Also aged 22, Pittard has played 31 AFL games.
