JACKSON Trengove has again pledged his loyalty to Port Adelaide, signing a two-year contract extension tying him to the ladder-leaders until 2017.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a stellar year to date both in defence and as the Power's second ruckman.
Injuries to Jarrad Redden and Brent Renouf has placed huge importance on Trengove's rucking ability and he's performed admirably, utilising his vertical leap to great effect.
Trengove previously helped set a tone of commitment at the Power when he instigated a discussion amongs the playing group addressing the need to stick together.
He then walked the walk, becoming the first of a string of players to re-sign during the club's darkest hour in August 2011.
At the time the Power had just lost their 10th-straight game for the season, anchoring them to the bottom of the ladder.
Trengove's show of faith in the struggling side was replicated the following season by Travis Boak, Hamish Hartlett, Matthew Broadbent and a number of other young players.
After announcing his new deal, Trengove said he was pleased Port was now an attractive club to players.
"Getting the deal done was good, the club's now in a position where they're signing players up a long time before they're actually out of contract which I think's a sign of a good club," Trengove said.
"[We're] starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel - we had some really dark days.
"Something had to be done, there was a point at the football club where we could have lost five or six players …one's our captain now (Boak).
"We had that 'man talk' with one another and it worked out really well."
In the four games leading up to Trengove's brave commitment in 2011, Port's average losing margin was 99 points.
He said such scars served as constant reminders of how difficult it was to resurrect the club. They also help the current group avoid complacency at the top of the ladder.
"We just realise how hard you've actually got to work to get to the top," he said.
"You see those great football clubs like Hawthorn and Geelong at the top who we've always aspired to become but when you're down the bottom you're not actually sure how to get there.
"Hard work's the only way.
"We've been winning some games, which has been fantastic, but it can all change very quickly … we know that we've got a lot of hard work to go."
