NEW Port Adelaide rookie Danny Meyer is confident a change of ends will allow him to finally deliver on the promise he showed as a first-round draft pick back in 2004.

Meyer, 22, trained with both Port Adelaide and Hawthorn after being delisted by Richmond in October but it was the Power who pounced first.

The club snapped up Meyer with its second pick (number 19) in Tuesday’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft and the former Glenelg junior said it was good to be home.

“Hawthorn did make a commitment that they were going to pick me up in the rookie draft, but I’m pretty happy to come to Port with the pick before,” Meyer said on Wednesday.

“Mum and dad couldn’t be happier, so it’s obviously good to be home and to have the opportunity to have a crack at AFL again.”

Meyer managed just 17 games in four years with the Tigers after suffering a series of hip and groin injuries. In the past two years, he underwent two separate procedures to repair damaged cartilage in his hip and played out the 2008 season with VFL side Coburg.

And it was there in the VFL that Meyer caught Power recruiting manger Blair Hartley’s eye.

The former small, crumbing forward was switched to a half-back flank where he dominated according to Hartley.

“I’ve played a new role this year basically. In the VFL, for the last half of the year, I played off the half-back line and really enjoyed the fresh start, rather than playing a small forward,” Meyer said.

“I’m coming across here hoping to get some opportunities across the half-back line or in the midfield and start really enjoying my footy again.”

Despite a perceived deficiency in Richmond’s defence, Meyer was unable to force his way back into the team and was cut at the end of the season.

“It was a bit of a shock and it was obviously disappointing. I didn’t really know where I sat in terms of [Richmond’s] list,” Meyer said.

“They looked at injuries, inconsistency and the possibility of me playing consistent football in the AFL team. They had a mature back line in terms of Chris Newman and a couple of half-back players and there wasn’t really an opportunity there to play much footy".

Meyer, who was on Port Adelaide’s original draft hit-list in 2004, was hopeful of becoming the second Tiger discard to make a name for himself at Alberton.

“I had a brief chat with Choco [coach Mark Williams] on the phone last night. He just welcomed me to Port and told me that, hopefully, the opportunities come and, hopefully, I could do what David Rodan did,” Meyer said.

“David struggled with injuries and, obviously, had a knee reconstruction and I had a similar blow with a couple of hip injuries and missed a year of football.

“I still don’t doubt my ability as a footballer and I still believe I’ve got something to offer Port Adelaide."