Monday 14 March 2010
Former Port Adelaide premiership star Peter Burgoyne is poised to sign with NEAFL club Territory Thunder, reports Jess Webster of The NT News.
Club officials met the 240-game AFL player during his Learn Earn Legend tour of the Territory two weeks ago and are in the process of drawing up a contract for the classy midfielder.
“He has indicated he would love to play for Thunder,” coach Murray Davis said. “I think everyone walked away (from the meeting) and thought, ‘OK let’s take it to the next step’, and that is working out the footy contract.
“We certainly spoke to him last year and he wasn’t interested at that time, he just wanted to go back and spend some time with his family and play some country footy.
“We then had contact from his manager and that’s how it all unfolded.”
Thunder’s biggest obstacle is salary cap pressure, although chief executive Stuart Totham is confident of presenting a suitable contract to the 33-year-old former St Mary’s star within a week.
It will be similar to that of boom recruit Andrew McLeod, who is contracted for seven games, including Thunder’s Foxtel Cup opener against Morningside in Brisbane in two weeks.
“I think that is a must (to have things worked out before the season). Peter is in pretty good nick, we just have to make sure he is motivated and wants to play for the right reasons,” Totham said.
“He has work and family in Adelaide to consider as well.
“It will be too hard for him to play 18 games so it’s a matter of working out those six or seven games that he can play.”
Burgoyne is in the Indigenous Team of the Century and played in Port Adelaide’s 2004 premiership side.
He booted 193 goals in 12 seasons for the Power and was awarded the club’s best finals player in 2007, and came third in the best-and-fairest the same year.
