Jay ready for a breakout season

Port Adelaide Power footballer Jay Schulz is fit and ready to make an impact. Picture: Tait Schmaal Source: adelaidenow

JAY Schulz has been Port Adelaide's leading goalkicker twice in three years, is among the AFL's most accurate full forwards and acts as the obvious centrepiece of the Power's attack.

This will be his 11th season, having been at Punt Rd before being traded to his home state of South Australia at the end of 2009. There have been hauls of seven goals three times in his time with Port.

Yet if his career finished today - and it has come close because of his horror run with injuries - he would give himself a fail mark. Schulz has yet to play finals; in his decade in the AFL, the closest was a ninth-placed finish with the Tigers in 2006 and 2008.

"Every team wants to play finals and we're no different; we're desperate to play finals," Schulz said.

"It's a really big desire for me and the main thing that keeps driving me. Until I get there I'm not going to feel like I've passed (as a footballer)."

Over the years, Schulz has spent as much time on the sidelines as he has in the team.

His list of injuries includes broken ankles, ribs and collisions that have seen him miss matches for a gouged eye and internal bleeding.

The last one, which came after a collision with teammate Justin Westhoff, was a sickening clash that left him in hospital with banged-up kidneys and a sizeable blood clot.

But it's never been an issue for Schulz, who has taken a pragmatic approach to injuries; in his position, and the way he plays, they will be endured.

His attack on the ball is also what makes him as a player, what keeps him involved in matches - and new coach Ken Hinkley has had to tell him to ease up when he's been at his most aggressive over summer.

As laid back as he is off the field, he can be a fiery bastard on it.

But he's patched up again, and one of the reasons his confidence hasn't been rocked by the hits and their repercussions is because part of him expects them to come.

"I had a scan in January this year and that's all clear, (the) blood clot's gone and the kidneys are working back to normal," he said. "I've done close to a full pre-season and had a really good summer.

"Sometimes the way I play I do that in training as well and I have to try to not kill myself at times. But if I don't train that way I don't think I'll play that way either.

"I haven't really thought about it (the injuries) that much. Injuries are injuries   ...  and the way I've played my whole career and the position I've played, mainly tall, key forward or back, that's what happens in those roles.

"There are always big contests, whether they are in the air or on the ground, and I just accept that."

FOR all of that, he's feeling every one of his 27 years (28 in April), and there is a new level of urgency of reaching the top eight before he exits the game.

"With such a young team, I do rock up feeling old," Schulz said. "But at the same time, having all those kids around makes you feel younger, because they're always up and about. They seem to joke a lot more and are good fun to have around. And they keep you on your toes, as an older fellow, especially when you do competitive work.

"They say it's supposed to get easier as you get older but I think it's probably the other way around. It gets harder and harder because the game just gets harder and harder, with the speed of the game.

"But it's also been a very enjoyable pre-season. We've had a lot of guys who have come back from surgery and we think we're in pretty good nick. But I know everybody does this time of year."

It's a different feel around Port Adelaide this summer.

The drills at training have taken on a different look, there are new voices and ideas from the coaches and fitness men.

Schulz corrects himself from time to time, laughing at the fact that all clubs are brimful with optimism this time of year, but he said it does feel like a fresh beginning at Alberton.

"Every coach coaches differently and Kenny (Hinkley) has his own little bits that he brings to the team, and that's great," Schulz said. "The old saying goes `a change is as good as a holiday' and that really goes with footy.

"Any time something new and fresh comes in, blokes get excited about it and want to learn as fast as they can and try it out.

"Kenny's been great, along with Richo (senior assistant Alan Richardson) and Burgo (fitness coach Darren Burgess).

"All the boys have bought into what they brought."

A couple of things have stood out already.

Hinkley has noted how Port had to scrap for their goals last year only for the opposition to respond with a cheap goal.

Part of it was because of poor decision-making, part of it from turnovers that came through lack of technique in congested situations.

"We've been doing a fair bit of work on things like ball security - not fumbling the footy when you're tackled but hold on and give a handball off - tackling as well and move the ball with speed," Schulz said. "We're just trying to score more quickly and easier; we seemed to have to do a lot of work for our goals last year and a lot of teams seemed to get easy goals."

Schulz reckoned Angus Monfries' crossing from Essendon would make his life easier.

With Justin Westhoff and Brett Ebert struggling for consistent form last season, Schulz was minded closely by opposition clubs but he is hopeful some of the attention will be diverted by Monfries and Westhoff, who has enjoyed an impressive and injury-free summer.

"Gus (Monfries) has been fantastic, both up the ground and in the midfield," Schulz said. "He's a really smart footballer and he's really good in the air for his size.

"I look forward to having him there and Westie's done the whole pre-season and he's looking forward to taking his game to another level and have a really consistent season."

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