NEWLY re-signed Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper says he never considered leaving Alberton, after recommitting to the club for another three seasons.
Powell-Pepper, 22, has agreed to terms on a deal which will keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2023 season.
There was some speculation late in 2019 that the East Perth product was being courted by other clubs but after putting pen to paper, he said he was thrilled to be staying.
“I’m on top of the world right now,” Powell-Pepper said at a press conference at Alberton Oval on Tuesday.
“It feels amazing. It’s really exciting news and I’m over the moon to be staying.
“There was a bit of speculation last year in the media but I love the club and I was never going to leave.
“Kenny and the whole team love me and they wanted me to stay so there was a bit of speculation but I’m happy to be here.
“I knew what was going on behind closed doors. It was pretty easy.”
Powell-Pepper has played all 14 games for the club in 2020, taking his career tally to 71.
Taken at pick 18 in the 2016 AFL National Draft, he is averaging 15 disposals, four tackles and three clearances this season, sharing his time between the midfield and forward line.
He said he was “stoked” to be staying with Port Adelaide for three more seasons and said he would like to stay beyond that as well, promising he has more improvement in his game to come.
“I’m beyond keen. It’s just the start,” Powell-Pepper said.
“I’m playing good footy now but I think I’ve got a lot better footy ahead of me and I’m keen to see what we can do in the future.
“(I just need) consistency, just sticking at it and sticking to the process.
“I’m a lot more settled now and with Travis (Boak) and the boys, it’s not just me, it’s the boys as well who’ve made me better.”
Powell-Pepper has lived with Travis Boak for the past few years and he credits the former captain for his growth.
“He’s made a few little tweets here and there saying he’s going to up the rent,” Powell-Pepper joked, referring to Boak’s reaction to his new contract.
“He’s always wanted me to stay and it’s a credit to him for taking me under his wing.
“I’ve definitely learned quite a bit off him. He’s like a big brother. He talks about how your form goes up and down but you’ve got to just stick at it.
“Myself and Travis have spent pretty much every second of every day together doing recovery and all different sorts of things so we’ve bonded even more during this COVID break.”
With Port Adelaide currently sitting on top of the ladder with three games to go before finals, Powell-Pepper is daring to dream about achieving something special in 2020, although he said the side would not be focussed on anything other than beating North Melbourne on Saturday night.
But he said the group was well placed with its on-field and off-field connection to attack the business end of the year.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve made a big focus of connection on the field and off it so we have Hugh (van Cuylenburg) who comes in and does a lot of resilience and that sort of stuff so everyone is this year connected even more,” he explained.
“We sometimes sit down and do a few activities and open up to each other a bit more and I think it’s brought us closer together.”
Port Adelaide faces North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast from 7:40pm AEST/7:10pm ACST on Saturday night.
