AS a boy, Steven Motlop grew up watching Port Adelaide and idolised Peter and Shaun Burgoyne.
On Saturday Motlop will play against a player he modelled his game on when the Power meets Hawthorn in Launceston during Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Motlop has this year returned to the club he supported as a boy after eight seasons with Geelong where he was part of the rivalry between the Cats and Hawks.
He said coming up against his boyhood hero Shaun Burgoyne – now with the Hawks - is particularly special in Indigenous Round.
“I grew up watching and supporting Port Adelaide because my brother Daniel played here and I loved the Burgoyne brothers so I got to know them really well in the time he was here with them,” Motlop said during a press conference on Thursday.
“They just had a bit of flair, they took the game on and they were just brilliant players.
“Everyone knows how good Shaun Burgoyne is in the contest, he’s a clutch player so I’ve always loved watching him play.”
Motlop said Port Adelaide’s history of Aboriginal greats and its suite of industry-leading programs for Aboriginal young people made him proud to be a part of the club.
He said the Sir Doug Nicholls Round was special for all Aboriginal players, including the ten currently on Port Adelaide’s playing list.
The Power will wear a special Indigenous guernsey designed by ruckman Paddy Ryder and his uncle Kevin Bynder and will gift Hawthorn a special Central Australian boomerang crafted from Mulga wood.
“It’s great for us as players to be able to play in this round and it’s fantastic by the AFL to be able to highlight that,” he said.
“For us to acknowledge the players who have contributed to the game and for the fans, non-Indigenous and Indigenous to be able to sit back and watch the players who have played past and the ones who are playing present.”
Port Adelaide is coming off a bye having last played against Gold Coast in Shanghai on May 19.
Motlop said the trip was a good opportunity to build team camaraderie and the 40-point win over the Suns was important in the context of a tight season.
This week will be the first time Motlop will play the Hawks in Launceston, other than a pre-season game there.
“I have heard it’s pretty cold but similar to Geelong so it should be right,” Motlop said.
“Their form, sort of the last three or four weeks, they’ve lost a couple but they’ve been right there up until
“We know how good they are as a footy club and I especially know how good they are after playing against them for a long time.
“They’re going to be a tough opposition but I think we’re ready for them.”
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