Motlop puts Port teammates on notice - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Motlop puts Port teammates on notice

By Daniel Brettig 09/04/2009 05:55:15 PM Comments (0)

Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop has declared certain teammates will quickly find themselves out of the Power's 22-man squad if they repeat the lazy efforts seen against West Coast when they meet Melbourne on Sunday.

Speaking ahead of his 100th AFL match, Motlop was frank about the fact that tensions had been created among Port's playing group due to the failure of some players to apply pressure to the opposition.

It is a sorer point for Motlop than most, since he is commonly lauded by the Power's coaching staff as one of the most tireless chasers and blockers in the league, and he made his feelings clear in the aftermath of the 50-point loss to the Eagles.

"We've got a pretty good team this year there's a lot of blokes playing well in the SANFL and if you're not chasing and tackling and putting pressure on you'll be out of the side quick smart," Motlop said on Thursday.

"It opens up spots for guys like Matt Thomas, Tom Logan, Nick Lower and others who do those sorts of things.

"There were some bad efforts with chasing and tackling and that sort of stuff and we're not going to accept that.

"If blokes don't do it in our team we'll bring someone else in who will do it."

Port are a team facing numerous hurdles this season, from a precarious financial position to doubts over the future of coach Mark Williams and cynicism from many supporters that swelled after Sunday's loss.

The last thing the club now needs is disunity among the players, and Motlop said it would take until the end of the year to find out whether or not the issues thrashed out in recent days would hold the team back in 2009.

"I guess you'll see from the results ... it depends where we finish on the ladder at the end of the season," he said.

"If we end up in the top eight it wasn't a problem, if we end up near the bottom then it is going to be a problem."

The Power like to be known for their skill and speed, but the level of hardness and commitment required to win AFL matches has wavered markedly from week to week over the past two years.

Motlop denied the club's talented midfield group was lacking in defensive inclinations, but said all players had to pull their weight.

"Some players are better at other things and it is about playing your role, the forward line players have to chase and put pressure on," he said.

"If you're not doing it then you'll be out of our side so we encourage blokes to do it when you play and that's what 'Choco' (Williams) demands too - it's not about chasing kicks.

"We've got a good midfield that tried really, really hard, that's what Choco says, so as long as you're trying really hard and putting in the effort, it doesn't have to be a tackle it just has to be a dive and touch his leg and a turnover and we're happy with that."

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