“The club has shown a lot of faith in me giving me two more years but I feel I probably have shown them and deserve another couple of years to hopefully help take this side deep into September,” he told the Herald Sun’s Jay Clark.
An unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, the co-vice captain says he never considered leaving the Kangaroos.
“There will be more movement of players in the coming years with free agency, which is great for players, but that’s never entered my mind. As along as the club was happy to do a deal then I was always happy to stay.”
Even the potential lure of a bigger pay packet out on the open market wasn’t enough to wet his appetite.
“It wasn’t. Loving the club the way I do, just wanting to play at one club was more than enough reasons, but I’ve got a young family and to up and move for a couple of years was no value, so there was a lot more upside in staying at North Melbourne.”
Money aside, the talent at the club was too good to walk out on.
“There is plenty of future here at the moment. While we haven’t got the wins on the board, there is a lot more depth of talent now. Benny Jacobs has played a few games this year, Taylor Hine as well, and you’ve got (Ryan) Bastinac, (Ben) Cunnington, (Jack) Ziebell, all those blokes have continuously built on good seasons last year, so there is definitely potential for some good finals action in the next couple of years and that’s why I want to stay around to be a part of it.”
Petrie says it’s no surprise Aegis Park is becoming a preferred destination for players on the move with the club in a strong position on and off the field.
“The off field is sensational. The last time we were serious finals contender was ‘07, we made the prelim. We still had the old facility, the Gold Coast push was circling, that uncertainty, but now we have a great facility, spent $2 million on our oval. We have a really strong list which has shown in the way we are playing at the moment.
“In ‘07 we had a lot more top end players, (Glenn) Archer , (Adam) Simpson, (Jess) Sinclair, (Shannon) Grant, Nathan Thompson, Boomer (Brent Harvey) has been old for the past eight years…he was old then. Plus (Corey) Jones, (Daniel) Pratt…there were a lot more 25-pluses (year-olds). Now, under 25 is where our real big talent pool is, so there’s lots of scope there.”
While age isn’t on his side, the 30-year-old says he is feeling as good as ever.
“The body is good. I don’t want to jinx myself, but apart from 2010, I’ve only missed one game through injury across 13 years. I missed one game with a rolled ankle in ‘06. Touch wood, I’ve always been very professional with preparing each week and making sure the body is in good nick. You have got to be more particular now after reaching the big 30. I do enjoy the recovery side of footy and I still love training and getting out there on the track.
“I haven’t missed a training session throughout pre-season. I started a fortnight later than the boys and haven’t missed a session since joining the boys in Utah.”
