PORT ADELAIDE captain Tom Jonas has paid tribute to retiring club champion Justin Westhoff at the club’s annual Best and Fairest Awards night.
Westhoff finishes his career with 280 AFL games, ranked third for AFL games played for Port Adelaide and third for AFL goals with 313.
Drafted to the club in the 2006 AFL National Draft with pick 71 and won the Gavin Wanganeen Medal as the best player under 21 in his first season.
He won the 2018 John Cahill Medal as best and fairest, but has also won a Showdown Medal in 2011 and he is a dual winner of the John McCarthy Award for community service at the club.
The skipper said as well as being a great teammate, Westhoff was a fantastic friend, husband and father.
“There’s more to you than these achievements,” Jonas said.
“When I came to the club in 2010, you were already a legend. You were revered within the locker room.
“You’re a man who lets actions do the talking. Your laconic style put you in the crosshairs of pundits and punters alike, unfairly too.
“But your impact on and off the field was never obvious to the average eye.”
While Jonas explained that sometimes Westhoff bore the brunt of unfair criticism from supporters in the early days, his value has become apparent throughout the competition over the course of his 14-year career.
The captain said it was fitting that “Westy” finally got his dues when he claimed the 2018 John Cahill Medal.
“I can’t remember a more popular winner in recent times and he certainly partied like it,” Jonas joked.
“As the mark of the man you are, I’m sure you’d trade it all in tomorrow for a flag with your mates.
“You’ll be remembered for making the impossible look easy, and sometimes making the easy look impossible.
“For being a great player in every position, a philanthropist off the field, but most importantly a great teammate who would do anything for anyone else.”
A man of few words, Westhoff took to the stage briefly to publicly thank his family, coaches and teammates across the journey.
“It’s been a pretty incredible journey, looking back. It’s not just the last 14 years but many more prior to that,” he said.
“There’s a few people in my AFL journey I’d like to thank. Firstly Mark “chocco” Williams. He played a huge part. Pick 71, you don’t usually get a chance so for him to give me a chance, he’s been the first one to text me after a win, a milestone, he’s been huge.
“Matty Primus, I thank you deeply for your time and commitment to me and my career, and last but certainly not least Ken, you came to the club at a pretty dire time but for the faith you’ve shown me, I’ll forever be in your debt.
“To the players, the 14 years here, the relationships you build would not be the same if you guys weren’t the people you were.”
Westhoff singled out a few teammates including former captains Warren Tredrea and Dom Cassisi as well as current development coach Chad Cornes, who “took me under his wing when I first came to the club and taught me how to be an AFL player.”
And he saved special thanks for his family and club members and supporters, who had backed him along the way.
“To my family, the things you’ve done, especially Mum and Dad, and my brothers Leigh and Matt, you’ve made sacrifices along the way,” he said.
“For me to have a space to go back to and have the door always open to talk through things, I’ve appreciated that.
“Last but not least, my wife, Bec, who doesn’t get enough praise for what she’s done.
“The sacrifices you’ve made for probably the last 20 years of my life, being great Mum to our four kids, I love you for that and I’m looking forward to being a stay at home dad and you holding the fort in the workforce.
“Thank you to the supporters f the club. It’s been an incredible journey and I’ll try to get around to people to thank them personally.”
