During the Christmas/New Year break, AFL.com.au looks at each club and how they're tracking for the 2011 pre-season

Introduction
The highlight of Port Adelaide's pre-season to date was a week-long training camp in New Zealand. The Power was based at Mount Peel, south of Christchurch, and the players were split into seven teams for a series of team bonding exercises that involved hiking, cycling, rafting and leaping off a cliff into a river. The players also hosted a skills clinic for the local community. "It's easily been the toughest camp I've been on in my nine years at the club," Port defender Troy Chaplin said after he returned to Adelaide.
 
Medical room
Three of Port's star youngsters, John Butcher, Hamish Hartlett and Ben Jacobs, have all been on modified programs. Butcher is recovering from a foot problem, while Hartlett is working hard to overcome the serious shoulder injury he suffered late in the Power's 2011 campaign. Jacobs, meanwhile, has been easing himself into training after off-season ankle surgery.
 
Summer superstar
Key forward Jay Schulz has been showing plenty of fire and passion at training. In early December he was involved in a heated clash with teammate, and fellow leadership group member, Jackson Trengove. The clash came after Trengove spoiled Schulz in a competitive drill. Afterwards, Power draftee Brendon Ah Chee said he was impressed with the intensity shown. "I like that. I think I’m a pretty competitive guy and that’s what I love about football. You know, you’ve got opponents and you’ve got to fight for your spots in the team, so it’s all a challenge and I’m just really looking forward to it."
 
Draftee watch
The club's first pick in the NAB AFL Draft, Chad Wingard, has already shown toughness and an ability to recover from setbacks. Wingard fell off a mountain bike during the training camp in New Zealand, but insisted on finishing the arduous ride. The 18-year-old then shook off his injuries to front up for the white water rafting session a day later. "I think for our three new draftees [WA boys Brendon Ah Chee and Nathan Blee are the others] … it was terrific for them to see what they could get out of it, and it also allowed our players to see what kind of people we have drafted," Port coach Matthew Primus said at the conclusion of the camp.
 
Putting the feet up
All members of Port Adelaide's squad began their Christmas break on December 22. The majority of the group will return on January 3, while the 8-years and older players return on January 10.
 
Membership
The Power's 2012 membership slogan is 'We Are Port Adelaide', which is a reference to the recent merger between the AFL club and the Port Adelaide Magpies, who play in the SANFL. Despite the Power's poor 2011 season, in which it finished 16th on the ladder and was beaten at home by new boys Gold Coast, it has signed almost 13,000 members so far.
 
NAB Cup schedule
Round one (Sunday, February 26): v Adelaide and Carlton, AAMI Stadium
Round two (Saturday, March 3): v West Coast, Mandurah
Round three (Saturday, March 10): v Fremantle, Victor Harbour
 
What they say
"There's a hell of a lot of work needed to get where you want to. We're at a different stage with our list, experience-wise and maturity-wise to where we were [when we won the premiership in 2004]. But in their first couple of months of pre-season the players have been terrific with the way they've gone about it. We've got to make sure that our expectations are pretty high during the rest of it." - Primus again.
 
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs