FIRST-year player Marlon Motlop will join cousin Daniel in the Port Adelaide line up for the first time when the Power takes on Melbourne at AAMI Stadium on Saturday.
Motlop, 18, is the youngest player on the Port Adelaide list and will become the second player in as many weeks to make the jump straight from the SANFL reserves to AFL level.
Motlop, the Power’s second pick in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft, impressed during the NAB Cup competition and was looking forward to playing alongside Daniel, who will also come into the team having recovered from an adductor strain.
“I’m pretty excited. It’s a big time for both myself and my family. I’m looking forward to getting out there with the boys, having a good game and bringing some enthusiasm and excitement to the side,” Motlop said on Thursday.
“Last week, I was told that if I had a good game I should be close to [AFL] selection. I played well and last night Choco rang me up and told me I was in.
“Choco just told me to go out there, do what I do best and bring some excitement and enthusiasm to the side. They’re not expecting anything too big of me; there’s no pressure at all.”
Motlop weighed just 76kg when he arrived at Alberton, but has stacked on in excess of five kilograms in nine months and on Saturday and will become the sixth Power player to debut this season behind Paul Stewart, Mitch Farmer, Nick Salter, Ryan Williams and Matthew Westhoff.
Motlop has played the majority of the season in the North Adelaide reserves, but he said the club was confident in his ability to make the leap to AFL.
“The club has said my running ability in the reserves is to AFL standard, but it’s going to be a big jump,” Motlop said.
“We’ve watched Nick Salter and Matty Westhoff do it in the past couple of weeks, so I’m confident I can adjust to that level too.
“My time is now and I’m just thankful the club has given me the opportunity to make my debut.”
Motlop possesses the same dash and flair as his enigmatic older cousin and despite having been groomed to play at the other end of the ground, the Darwin teenager was hopeful he could form a good on-field bond with freakish forward Daniel.
“Daniel and I are pretty close. I’ll go around his place and he’ll come around mine for dinner probably three or four times a week. We’ll go and see a movie every now and then, so we’re pretty tight,” Motlop said.
“I’ve watched Daniel pretty much all my life, since he was playing up in Darwin, with the Kangaroos and now with the Power.
“I pretty much know what he does, how he plays and his role in the side, so I think he and I have a pretty good understanding of each other.”
Motlop will run out onto AAMI Stadium on Saturday in a one-off Power guernsey designed by a Rostrevor College student, also named Marlon.
Marlon Shepherdson, the winner of the club’s guernsey competition, was presented with a replica guernsey on Thursday and will join his classmates in cheering on the Power against Melbourne this week.
