STEVEN SUMMERTON will make history this weekend.

When he leads Port Adelaide onto Alberton Oval for Sunday’s game against Sturt, he will join some of the club's greats as a 200-gamer.

His career is one of the most unique, and unlikely, for the 29-year-old overcame a rare birth condition, where his heels presented in his calves at birth, to make his way to the captaincy of one of Australia's most famous league football clubs.

Back then, surgery was required to cut his calves open, remove, relocate and align his feet properly. It consigned him to plasters for the earliest years of his life.

To top it off, his pigeon feet (he walked with his feet turned in) presented another hurdle to overcome.

Yet, after 199 games of supremely consistent league football, few would imagine such a challenging childhood could lead to a career of personal success.

Summerton is a triple state representative, a three-time Port Adelaide best-and-fairest and the 2014 R.O. Shearman medal - the award given by the coaches to the league's best player.

And in true Port Adelaide fashion, Sunday's milestone takes second-fiddle to the game itself in Summerton's mind.

“All I’m really worried about it getting the two points against Sturt. When I’ve hung up the boots, though, I’ll look back and it will be something I’m really proud of," Summerton told portadelaidefc.com.au.

His competitor's spirit and passion for the club is something all Port Adelaide people are proud of.

When the restructure of the club's football program happened in 2013, he was one of the most vocal advocates for keeping the Magpies alive. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise, afterall his great-grandfather was one of the club's early presidents, and his grandfather Ron Hall played for the club in the mid-20th century.

And his own career - as a junior from the club's traditional zone rising through the ranks of its talent pathway - is a reminder of the old system in place at Alberton. 

But as Port Adelaide has always evolved, so Summerton has too.

He chose to stay at Port in 2014, and was bestowed the captaincy of the club - a title he retains today. 

“It’s been a unique situation, that's for sure," Summerton said.

"I worked my way up through the juniors and started playing league footy under Timmy Ginever originally.

“The club has obviously been restructured since then, but before the restructure and after it, I’ve loved every minute of my time here at the club.”

Few things in life are certain, but with that written, this thing is: Summerton will be the last man to play 200 games in Port’s prison bar jumper, as long as the current structure remains in play.

There's plenty for him to look back on, but some games stick out more than others: his 2006 debut, the last game of the 'old' Magpies in 2013, and leading the club to a grand final in 2014.

But even a recent game against Norwood sticks with him. 

“The experience alone of playing in the grand final was unforgettable, same with our last game before the club was restructured, we had a win against the Bays, I’ll always remember that," Summerton said.

“But also the Norwood game a few weeks ago, to beat them and break a 10-year drought was memorable."

Steven Summerton brings up game 200 at Alberton Oval on Sunday 7 May at 2.10pm. Entry is $14 general admission, $8 concession and children under 18 free.

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