You see, I grew up in Largs North just a block from the Police Academy and in the heart of Port Adelaide territory. My dad played for Semaphore Centrals in the amateur league and played a couple of seasons in Port's reserve team.
As the eldest of three kids, dad was still playing when I was born and apparently he'd push me in the pram to Semaphore Oval before every game and we'd be on the bus to Alberton for Port Adelaide.
Both sets of grandparents lived in Largs Bay, mum and her brother and sisters grew up Port fans. Today my 80-year-old aunt and her husband are still members. My uncle is patron of the club. We're a Port Adelaide family.
The history, the success, the culture... once you become a Port Adelaide fan, it's for life.
I reckon it's the working class background of the Port Adelaide tribe that provides the magic of the club... and the fact that every other team's supporters hate you.
It’s always been that way. In the SAFL every other supporter would always barrack for whoever was playing the Magpies. Just last week in the Plaza outside the Sunrise studios, two Crows supporters came to say hello dressed in the club's jackets. They were such nice ladies and asked for an autograph. I jokingly said only if they supported Port Adelaide when we weren't playing the Crows. They hesitated and had to think about it... they seriously had to consider the consequences and I reckon even then only agreed to be polite.
The passion of Port Adelaide supporters, that siege mentality, has been at the core of every Port Adelaide team on the field. That pride, that never say die commitment.
It was there in the era of Peter Obst, of Geoff Motley, of John Cahill, of Russel Ebert... as it is today in the Cornes', Tredrea and the rest of the team.
It was there when they won their record breaking six consecutive premierships. Growing up there was just a natural expectation we'd be at Adelaide Oval every September taking on Sturt or Woodville or Souths, or whoever.
One of my fondest memories was a home game ritual of Grandpa Koch taking me to the window outside the Port dressing room at half time to listen in to super coach Fos Williams barking instructions to the team. I reckon I learnt my first swear word at that window. Even today I close my eyes in the dressing rooms before a match and listen to Choco doing the same thing and think, like father like son.
Port Adelaide has always been a family and always will be... it's what tradition is made from. Those great Port Adelaide surnames just keep coming back with new generations of players.
It's the magic of Port Adelaide.
David Koch appears on Sunrise, which airs on Channel 7 from 6am to 9am weekdays and 7.30am to 10am on Sundays.
