PEOPLE attending Port Adelaide’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round game against Fremantle will be treated to a special half time performance by a past player, as part of a broader celebration of Indigenous culture.
Marlon Motlop has been making waves on the music scene in 2021, performing at WOMADelaide as an opening act for Midnight Oil as well as at the Bass in the Grass festival in Darwin alongside acts like Missy Higgins, Peking Duck, Illy and Ocean Alley.
The five-game Port Adelaide midfielder, who has also played 117 SANFL games for North Adelaide and Glenelg, is now gearing up for another show at Adelaide Oval on Sunday at half time of Port’s clash with the Dockers.
“It’s pretty special. From an early age I dreamt of playing football in Sir Doug Nicholls Round in front of a big crowd and I guess the way life has panned out other avenues and other talents have emerged and I get to perform at half time instead,” Motlop told portadelaidefc.com.au.
“I’m really grateful for it and it’s super cool.”
Complete with a six-piece band, Motlop and Glenelg teammate Rulla Kelly-Mansel (aka RKM) will aim to entertain the crowd with their RnB/Soul sound. As part of the performance, they will play their hit Black Swan which will be released next week and featured on Triple J.
“I’ve only been with the band for six months or so but we’ve landed some super big festivals in that time,” Motlop explained.
“Our sound was described by Rolling Stone magazine as eclectic rock and Indigenous soul so I think it fits the week quite nicely and hopefully those in the crowd will enjoy it.
“Black Swan was written by Rulla about three years ago and when I met him, I added a verse, and a melody and some chords. The essence of the song is based around being a first nations person in this country and the challenges we sometimes face. It’s about being tall and standing up like a Black Swan and being proud of what you are and where you’re from.
“We’re releasing it this week and it will air on Triple J so we hope it’ll be something people gravitate towards.”
No stranger to Adelaide Oval - Motlop was part of the Glenelg outfit which won the 2019 SANFL premiership there – the 29-year-old is still playing football at a high level, averaging 12 touches and a goal a game for the unbeaten Bays in 2021, playing in the difficult half forward role.
As a previous staff member of the Power Community Limited Aboriginal Programs team, Motlop is very aware of the work Port Adelaide does with young Aboriginal people, and as a past player, knows how important Indigenous stars have been to the club’s history.
The Sir Doug Nicholls Round, he said, was a celebration of how far First Nations people had come through football.
“It’s really a celebration of the pioneers of the sport of AFL from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander point of view,” Motlop said.
“We’ve had so many role models before us and who battled through some challenging eras in terms of football and also in wider society to make things a lot easier and more opportunities available for those of us today.
“It’s a really special time for me and my family and it will be super cool to be a part of it.”
The grand finals of the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup will be played as a curtain raiser from 3:00pm before around 500 students involved in the program take to the field for a special cultural performance and Welcome to Country.
There will also be a cultural gift exchange between the indigenous players just before coin toss.
Port Adelaide’s game against Fremantle has been delayed slightly as part of wider fixture changes for this week. It will now get underway from 4:50pm on Sunday.
