Nathan Krakouer Biography

Nathan Krakouer retires from AFL.

"Nathan has played some outstanding football for the club over his time here," Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps said.

"Despite limited opportunity at AFL level this season, Nathan played a significant role as an experienced player helping the Magpies win through to the SANFL Grand Final."

Nathan Krakouer's AFL career looks in peril after the out-of-contract Port Adelaide forward damaged a taxi.

Channel Seven reported that he allegedly damaged the windscreen of a taxi in the Adelaide suburb of Salisbury West after becoming angry when his credit card was declined repeatedly while trying to pre-pay for a trip into the city.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Nathan Krakouer suffered his broken jaw as a result of an unprovoked attack at a Perth nightclub.

However, Hinkley also added that the circumstances didn't absolve the player.

"The break in trust, the breach of confidence, in his teammates and us was exactly the same outcome," Hinkley said.

"The penalty is what it is for Krak having a drink, it's not for anything else.

"But I suppose from a bigger picture point of view, we understand how it happened a little bit better now, because Krak obviously being hit and a broken jaw, you can imagine he would have been unaware of what actually did go on.

"So we checked that out thoroughly and now that is a matter for other people."

Nathan Krakouer has a broken jaw after being struck outside a Perth nightclub in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The 27-year-old reported the alleged attack to police who are investigating the incident.

Despite the injury, Port Adelaide is unhappy Krakouer was out drinking while recovering from a hamstring injury and its leadership group decided to rule him out of senior football until at least round six.

"Nathan is still recovering from a hamstring strain and his choice to drink alcohol while rehabilitating that injury is far from the professional standards we expect at Port Adelaide," Power football manager Chris Davies said.

Nathan Krakouer is likely to miss the rest of the NAB Challenge after straining a hamstring at training.

“It’s really disappointing for 'Krak', because he was looking good to play this week with the rest of the blokes," Port Adelaide high performance manger Darren Burgess said.

“It’s just one of those things that happens sometimes, unfortunately it means a month on the sidelines.

“We’re hoping he’ll be good by Easter – which means round 1.”

Nathan Krakouer agrees to a one-year contract extension with Port Adelaide as a rookie.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says he is delighted by Nathan Krakouer's fairytale return to AFL football.

"It's a great story. They're the ones that I love being involved with," Hinkley said.

"I was part of Gold Coast when Krak went up there. I have seen the loss of passion for the game and seen what had happened to him - and see him disappear.

"And for him to come back, it's a pretty good story."

Nathan Krakouer's time to repay the club he walked out on in 2010 has arrived, with the rookie defender upgraded to play for Port Adelaide against North Melbourne.

"It's been a long journey and now I get another chance at it," Krakouer said.

"I think people that know me, what I've had to do and how hard it was, can see how much it means.

"For me, I'm just caught up in the moment, and I probably won't really appreciate the sort of work it takes to get back to AFL until I'm older, for me I just need to play my role on Saturday and enjoy the opportunity."

Nathan Krakouer says his return to AFL football as part of Port Adelaide's team playing against West Coast in the NAB Challenge was an enjoyable experience.

"I was out there towards the last 10 minutes of the last quarter I started to have a bit of a smile," Krakouer said after the 40-point win.

"It's been a while, obviously, but I had some fun out there and after a long pre-season of playing against one another it's actually good to play against an opposing team.

"It's good to see where you're at as well, because it's been a few years."

Nathan Krakouer is back with Port Adelaide after being chosen with pick No.16 in the 2014 NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

"We were pleased with the way Nathan turned around his fitness and the commitment he showed to the club on the track and on the field this year," Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

"It's very rare that you can pick up a player of Nathan's talent at pick 16 of the rookie draft."

Nathan Krakouer quits AFL football to return to Western Australia for personal reasons.

"We have been working with Nathan and supporting him where possible for some time, and while we remained committed to supporting him, Nathan's desire is to step away from football," football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

"While we are disappointed to lose a player of Nathan's ability, the most important thing is Nathan's wellbeing, and that is why we have agreed to release him from his playing contract."

Nathan Krakouer is granted extended leave from the Gold Coast Suns until November 20 to deal with personal issues.

"There is no doubt Nathan will return. It's just been that there has been a lot of bad news for the kid in the last two months," Krakouer's manager Carlos de Costa said.

"The Gold Coast has been great. They understand Nathan's head space is not right with the bad news he's had, but they want to make sure his welfare is the No.1 priority. He's on the road to recovery."

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou says the League would place no obstacles in Andrew Krakouer's way as he seeks to return to the competition after serving time in prison.

"Andrew Krakouer, as we are all aware, has been in prison and has served his time as part of a process. He, like any other individual, is entitled to be treated fairly," Demetriou said.

"I've got no doubt he'll attract interest from a couple of clubs and if he is to be drafted we'd all welcome him in and congratulate him on turning his life around."

Port Adelaide says it is very disappointed with the way Nathan Krakouer's defection to Gold Coast has been handled given they were informed by the Suns directly rather than by Krakouer's manager despite repeated enquiries.

"The football world accepts that clubs will lose players to the expansion teams, but given the commitment our football club has made to Nathan's development and welfare over the last four years, we are very disappointed at the way the matter has been handled in recent weeks," Power general manager of football operations Peter Rohde said.

Gold Coast Suns recruit Nathan Krakouer has apologises to his former club Port Adelaide for the manner of his departure but says he is now concentrating on preparing himself to play for his new club.

"I apologise for the way things happened but I am here now and I am looking forward to the future with the Gold Coast," he said.

"I basically can't wait to get all this media stuff out of the way and start focussing on myself and get everything sorted and start the pre-season."

Port Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin says the club deserved better than to learn of Nathan Krakouer's departure for the Gold Coast through the media.

"Krak spoke to Rohdey, but obviously there's been a little bit of miscommunication between him and his manager. The way his manager dealt with it was a little bit disappointing and the club probably deserved a little bit better," Chaplin said.

"It's been reported since probably round two or three, so it's been on the cards for a while. The decision's been made now, so it's probably taken a bit of pressure off of him and we can move forward as a club and as a playing group."

Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus says he has little hope Nathan Krakouer will stay with the club next year.

"We're not quite sure what Krak's doing. I spoke to him last Friday and he was saying that he was more than likely going to go somewhere else, but that he wasn't quite sure on what he was doing," Primus told SEN radio.

"We reiterated with him that we'd like him stay here... but he certainly hadn't committed to us or to anyone else - that's what he told us anyway... the longer it goes on the less likely it is that he's staying."

Port Adelaide appears to be resigned to losing Nathan Krakouer but his final destination, and the circumstances of his departure, remain unclear.

Port Adelaide caretaker coach Matthew Primus says defender Nathan Krakouer won't decide his future until the end of the season.

"He's got a decision to make and he's going to wait until the end of the year [to make it]. You'd like to have him signed up like Travis Boak, Paul Stewart and Robbie Gray but he's decided to wait until the end of the year," Primus said.

"All we can do is keep talking to him and tell him how good the future here is going to be. In the end it's his decision and we'll have to wait and see."

Power coach Mark Williams says he is starting to get worried with rumours linking defender Nathan Krakouer with the Gold Coast.

"Nathan is a good player, so I'd imagine the Gold Coast should be talking to him. We're very hopeful of keeping him here, but who knows ... it is starting to smell a bit," Williams said.

The Herald Sun reports that new AFL franchise Gold Coast has set its sights on Crows midfielder Scott Thompson and Port Adelaide's Nathan Krakouer.

Jacob Surjan says his team was unlucky to be on the receiving end of a crucial late 50m penalty against Nathan Krakouer in the farewell game for club stalwarts Peter Burgoyne and Brendon Lade.

"We were very stiff. We thought that 50m penalty was really soft, but the umpires are going to make the call and that was their call," Surjan said.

"Peter and Ladey have been fantastic servants of our club and as a playing group we should have sent them off on a better note."

Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Nathan Krakouer sign new contracts with the Power, keeping them with Port Adelaide till 2010.

"As a club we couldn't have hoped for anything better than we got from Travis, Robbie and Nathan last year, particularly given they all joined us from interstate only last season," Power coach Mark Williams said.

"We do keep in mind that they are very much in the infancy of their careers and their development won't always be linear but it's fair to say we're excited about our future with these young players as part of it."