Matthew Primus
| Matthew Primus | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Matthew Richard Primus | ||
| Date of birth | 12 January 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Geelong, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Geelong Falcons | ||
| Draft | No. 2, 1995 National Draft, Fitzroy | ||
| Height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Weight | 109 kg (240 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1996 | Fitzroy | 20 (5) | |
| 1997–2005 | Port Adelaide | 137 (76) | |
| Total | 157 (81) | ||
| International team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2002 | Australia | 2 | |
| Coaching career3 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 2010–2012 | Port Adelaide | 47 (13–34–0) 27.66% | |
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2005.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2002.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2012.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Matthew Richard Primus (born 12 January 1975) is a former coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club and Australian rules footballer, captain and All Australian ruckman. He is currently an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Football Club.
Primus began his career with the Fitzroy Football Club in what was to be their final season in the AFL. At the end of the season, He had played 20 games and kicked five goals, becoming one of their key players. Primus signed with the Port Adelaide Football Club as an uncontracted zone player during their AFL establishment in 1996.
After finishing second in Fitzroy’s 1996 best and fairest and in the same position in Port Adelaide's 1997 best and fairest, Primus had established himself as one of the game's top ruckmen, but his close losses in the best and fairest counts would be a pointer to the bad luck he would face later in his career. 1999 saw Primus play only two games before a serious knee injury ruled him out for the year, yet the Power managed to improve on their combined record of 19-23-2 to reach seventh position. As his star rose as a player, Primus was also getting noticed off the field, being voted Cleo Magazine's ”Most Eligible Bachelor” in 1998. After the Power had a disappointing season in 2000, Primus was promoted to captain of the club in 2001, and led the team to a minor premiership in 2002 with only two losses in their last twenty home-and-away games before lack of finals experience told.
In 2003 Primus was hampered by hamstring and knee injuries, and only played nine games. The worst was yet to come, however, and 2004 would be the ultimate heartbreak for Primus. In his return game in Round 3, he suffered an ACL rupture after his left knee bent the wrong way, requiring a knee reconstruction and putting him out of the game for the rest of the 2004 season. Warren Tredrea took over the captaincy, and after plenty of near-misses in the finals, Port Adelaide would go on to win the premiership that year, with Primus missing out.
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