The Cats zippy forward, Steven Motlop, who was an All-Australian nominee for 2013, turns the pages back to 2008 when he was first told he was going to Geelong.
Having had two brothers take the AFL journey before him, Motlop was feeling the pressure. His older brother Shannon Motlop played 54 games for North Melbourne and Daniel Motlop followed, with 47 games with the Roos and 83 with Port Adelaide.
“Draft day I was around all my family and it was very exciting. Obviously I had a couple of brothers who had been drafted and I thought there was a bit on my shoulders.
“I was really nervous and I was around at my brother’s house and in the buildup there was a lot of talk about Port taking me with my brother being there.
Unknown to Motlop, the Geelong Cats had their own plans that would change his life forever.
“I got a phone call from Geelong the day before and they said how would you feel coming down to Geelong, and I said ‘yeah I’d just be happy to go to any club’, it would make my dream.
“Geelong ended up taking me at 39 - so I was pretty excited.”
The move from Darwin to Geelong was one of Motlop’s biggest challenges. However, the ongoing support he received from his family and the club enabled him to find his feet.
“I’m the baby of the family so Mum and Dad were happy to see me get to the AFL.
“My Mum and Dad moved down and helped me out - but when I first got here I moved in with (former Cat player) Nathan Djerrkura and he helped me a lot because I was a bit homesick at times, it’s pretty far from Darwin. But I love it now and I’m having fun.”
Since Motlop’s first game in rd 2 in 2010, which saw him out for the rest of the year with an injured shoulder, he has played a total of 51 games with Geelong’s seniors. In 2013 Motlop produced an outstanding season, with a career best of 44 goals and 428 disposals. Plus he was awarded with the 2013 Cats coach's award and represented Australia vs Ireland in the international rules series.
