Forum topic

From the AJN: [quote]Dukes returns to the fray ADAM KAMIEN AFTER taking a well-deserved break from footy in 2006, Jeremy Dukes has staged a successful return to the Victorian Football League (VFL), resuming his career with Port Melbourne. After finishing on the bottom of the ladder with just three wins last season, Port Melbourne recruited heavily in the off-season in an attempt to turn around the club's flagging fortunes. Dukes was part of a new crop of players charged with resurrecting the proud club, and after six rounds the move seems to have paid off. Port is sitting in fifth spot on the ladder with three wins and a draw. But despite his solid start to the season, Dukes believes he has a long way to go before he hits top form. "I haven't been in great form, I've been pretty consistent, kicking a couple of goals every week," Dukes told the AJN this week. "I probably need to work a little bit harder, I'm still a bit rough around the edges I think and I need to improve a little bit. I'm feeling a lot better for having a couple of games under my belt now." While Dukes may not be playing at his peak, he has certainly been a valuable contributor for his new club averaging three goals a game, including six last week in a losing side. If he is not near his best then he's not far away. But the reintegration has been a slow one after Dukes spent most of last year exploring the Americas and parts of Europe. The time off, however, seems to have reinvigorated the talented forward. He has been an integral part of the revival at Port Melbourne and at 25 has been made part of the club's leadership group. "At my age they look to you for a bit more leadership around the younger guys and around the club in general and I'm happy to do that, I really enjoy helping the younger guys out and giving them a bit of feedback." The task of lifting Port from the wooden spoon to finals is no mean feat, but Duke believes his side now has the personnel to pull it off. "We've come a long way from last year and I think we can make the finals," he said. "I think if all the new guys gel together we should be able to get there. But there is a long way to go. We're not even a third of the way through the season and we've still got a lot of good clubs to come up against. "The VFL is very unpredictablem, you can be up one week and down the next so we are pretty confident but we know we have to play well every week to win games, we can't afford to be not switched on." Dukes trains with the club three times a week and is in the gym or the pool almost every day in an effort to stay at peak fitness. Combined with his full-time role as a financial advisor at the Commonwealth Bank, Dukes has time for little else. But despite his hectic schedule and the fact that playing AFL footy has likely passed Dukes by, he insists that he still has the desire to put in the work required to play in the VFL. "I've still got the fire in the belly and the passion for the game. I still love it," Dukes said. "Obviously it's every kid's dream top play league footy and I'd love to play... it'd be fantastic. But I understand that there is a lot more to life, and I like doing things outside football as well. "It's [playing in the AFL] not out of my mind totally. If it happens it happens but if not then so be it." Dukes was taken at 80 in the first round of the 1999 AFL draft by the Carlton Football Club, signing to a two-year deal at the tender age of 17. After one year on the senior list at the Blues, Dukes was delisted and picked up by Essendon where he spent 2001 on the club's supplementary list. In 2002 Dukes played for VFL side Williamstown before putting his career on hold to see the world in 2006. But the burning question on everyone's lips is when Dukes will return to the ranks of the AJAX footy club. "I don't know if there's enough room in the forward line for me," Dukes quipped. "I'd love to come back and play for the Jackas at some stage but I'm really not sure when. I don't know how many years I've got in me at a higher level but I would definitely like to come back to AJAX and help out." [/quote]