Steven Motlop Biography

Steven Motlop announces his retirement, effective immediately, ending a 13-season career at the highest level after 217 games.

"14 years is a long time in the game, especially in the position I play. It was always a childhood dream to play in the AFL and I'll always be grateful to Geelong and to Port Adelaide for giving me the opportunity to achieve that dream," Motlop said.

Steven Motlop is dropped to the SANFL to find form after a slow start to the year.

"His form for the first three or four weeks of the season has been a little bit off by his own admission," Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said.

"He hasn’t been able to find the football and impact as well as we’d like. On that basis, we’ve made the decision to play him at SANFL level, where he’ll hopefully find some more of the ball."

Geelong defender Zach Tuohy says he, and the rest of the Cats, are looking forward to square up against former teammate Steven Motlop when they take on the Power at Adelaide Oval this week.

"I've played on him in the past and he's always had a bit to say, he's never been shy on the lip, it'll be interesting to see what he has to say," Tuohy said.

Steven Motlop says his decision to join Port Adelaide was based on the chance of premiership success, family ties and how the Power gets the best out of experienced recruits.

"I think we're going to be able to contend next year, so my decision was really based around that," Motlop said.

"In the end, I went with what I thought was best for me with my family being there and that connection."

"The guys they have recruited in the past few years have gone to Port Adelaide and played some really good footy. That really sold me as well."

Steven Motlop is officially a Port Adelaide player after Geelong declined to match the Power's four-year, $2 million deal for the restricted free agent.

As compensation, the Cats will receive an end of first round selection, which currently falls at pick No.19.

Steven Motlop chooses Port Adelaide as his preferred new home ahead of Adelaide and Gold Coast.

Motlop is understood to have agreed to a four-year deal worth about $500,000 a season.

Gold Coast remain in the hunt to secure the services of Steven Motlop who will meet newly appointed coach Stuart Dew next week.

It had been reported in recent days the race for Motlop was down to two clubs – Port Adelaide and Adelaide.

Motlop's manager, Alex McDonald, says the Suns are a genuine option and did not rule out the prospect of Motlop remaining at Geelong.

Steven Motlop has been linked with a move to Gold Coast.

NAB AFL Trade Radio reported on Tuesday that the 185cm forward was spotted on the Gold Coast and checking out the Suns’ facilities at Metricon Stadium.

Geelong coach Chris Scott says he wants Steven Motlop to remain at the club.

The 26-year-old, who was put up for trade at the end of last season, qualifies for restricted free agency and is on the radar of rival clubs, including Port Adelaide.

"This is one of the rare occasions I'll talk about what I want – and I sincerely hope that he's a Geelong player next year," Scott said.

"I'm not sure how I can be any more emphatic than that, and Steve knows that."

Steven Motlop has refused to be drawn on his future after Cats chief executive Brian Cook revealed the club is open to offers for the out-of-contract speedster.

The 26-year-old, who was put up for trade at the end of last year, will become a restricted free agent at season's end.

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest," Motlop told Channel Nine.

"I haven't spoken to my manager about it at all. I'm just trying to worry about week by week as it is."

When asked if he wanted to remain at Geelong, Motlop said: "Definitely, I love the club."

Steven Motlop's future is unlikely to become clear until late in the season with the forward and Geelong still in no rush to start contract negotiations.

Steven Motlop's manager Alex McDonald confirms that his client will be a Geelong player in 2017.

"He's had some really good conversations with the club and they've been very forthright," McDonald told NAB AFL Trade Radio.

"He knows what the expectations are and he realises that from a team perspective, they (the Cats) are in a good position to get into a Grand Final which he hasn't experienced before."

Tom Hawkins says his Cats teammate Steven Motlop knows he must work harder this off-season after an inconsistent 2016.

"Steve would admit himself, he didn't put himself in the best position when he turned up to the start of the 2016 pre-season in bad shape," Hawkins said.

"He would admit again that he didn't have his best year of footy. He certainly played some great games, but wasn't as consistent this year."

Geelong coach Chris Scott says he doesn't have a problem with Steven Motlop's flashy but inconsistent form.

"I would rather a player who can play exhilarating football and then be a little bit off at times than someone who just plods along and plays average footy most weeks," Scott said.

"To get that A-grade status, that elite midfielder status, he needs to be a little bit more consistent but if you go through the high level half-forwards in the AFL, not many are that consistent week in, week out."

Steven Motlop signs a two-year deal with the Cats, tying him with the club until the end of 2017.

"I'm very excited, another couple of years with the Cats," Motlop said.

"I’m very comfortable down here in Geelong, I love the lifestyle and I love the people and I really love the footy club so it's good to get the deal done this week."

Steven Motlop has resisted interest from rival clubs, with the Cats confirming he has agreed to terms on a contract extension.

"It's been a lot of work between [his] manager and myself, but we got there in the end," Geelong football manager Steve Hocking said.

"It was really just about making sure that he realised his value, but at the same time we maintained a pay structure as we have done."

Geelong coach Chris Scott is confident exciting midfielder Steven Motlop will stay with the Cats long-term despite the fact the 24-year-old remains unsigned beyond 2015.

"What I can assess is what we see from players in terms of their commitment during the week, their attitude to training, the way they play, especially the way they defend and do some of the less flashy things out on the ground," Scott said.

"I can't really fault him too much. Every indication that I get is very positive that he loves playing here and he will play here long into the future."

Geelong has given out-of-contract star midfielder Steven Motlop space as he weighs up his playing future.

The Cats are hopeful the 24-year-old will commit long-term and negotiations between the club and Motlop's management have been ongoing for the past three to four months.

"We are working on getting a deal done," Cats football manager Steve Hocking said.

"What we tend to do down here (at Geelong) is we make sure we're not putting too much pressure on the player, as far as, 'Here's a deadline, you need to make sure we know what you're doing'".

An repentant Steven Motlop says it was difficult watching his teammates being thrashed by Fremantle while he was serving a club-imposed ban.

"I couldn't be out there and it was extremely hard to watch," Motlop said.

"It's something I don't want to be known for; someone that's doing something like this.

"It was obviously very disappointing. We have expectations at our footy club that I didn't meet and I'm extremely embarrassed.

"I let my teammates down and our fans as well. I'm trying to move on now.

"I'm very disappointed and extremely sad."

Steven Motlop is suspended from the round two game against Fremantle after his Hawthorn opponents sledged him for drinking at a local football game in Colac on Good Friday.

Cats players heard several key Hawks taunting Motlop during the Easter Monday clash and are understood to have raised the issue after the game, disappointed that he would be drinking just days out from the season opener.

Although the act itself was no issue, the timing just days out from such a big game was not the preparation expected of a Geelong player.

"The team and Steve will pay a big penalty this week, but having said that we're really happy with the way Steve responded in the aftermath and we are really positive that this is going to have a good outcome for the whole club and importantly for Steve," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"We have clear expectations of our players and there is no grey area here.

"Steve has not been able to meet those on this occasion and to his credit he acknowledges it and he admits and he is prepared to take his right whack."

Steven Motlop has finally started running again, two months after he flew to London for surgery to fix a bout of knee tendonitis.

"He didn't complain of any pain or anything like that, so everything is going to plan there," club physio Mike Snelling said.

"He has to go through all the paces of running, then get back to training and get some conditioning under his belt because he hasn't had any pre-season."

Steven Motlop does not expect to return until round five or six after undergoing knee surgery in London three weeks ago.

"Once I strengthen that I'll get into full running. [After] a couple of weeks of running and a couple of weeks of full training I will try to get some match fitness," Motlop said.

Steven Motlop is set to miss the first month of the home and away season after having surgery in London in a bid to cure his knee tendonitis.

"The assessment was that Steven would benefit from minor corrective surgery, and he underwent this while he was in London," Geelong's head of sport science and medicine Peter Stanton said.

"The operation was successful and we expect that Steven will be back training in six to eight weeks."

Steven Motlop will fly to London to meet with a specialist after his injured knee failed to respond to treatment over the pre-season.

"We are sending Steven to who we believe is the world's best knee tendon doctor in London," Geelong head of sport science and medicine Peter Stanton said.

"We had hoped that by managing Steven's workload he could overcome the problem but it isn't progressing as we would have liked.

"Steven will commence a program once he returns from London with the intention to increase his workload in the lead up to the season."

Steven Motlop could face knee surgery to correct the patella tendonitis issue he carried throughout the 2013 season.

"The injury is something Steven has managed through the 2013 season and unfortunately it is still causing him some problems," Cats football manager Neil Balme said.

"His workload has been managed so far but we aren't seeing the results from this we had hoped.

"We are unsure yet whether taking the surgical option is the best course of action but a decision will be made on that in due course."

Steven Motlop says he's on the verge of signing a new deal with the Cats.

"It's all getting done now. I'm pretty happy at Geelong," Motlop told The Sunday Footy Show.

"We've got a lot of young guys coming up through the VFL that are going to be good players in the future, and I think that's the best part about signing with the club."

Geelong's Steven Motlop says he can't get enough footy, even off season when he spends many nights training with the Wanderers, a Northern Territory league club.

"I just love getting back there and training with all my cousins," Motlop said.

"I've got about 10 cousins playing there, so it's heaps of fun. It's good for me to keep training. It keeps me sharp, and I love it.

"I even go to soccer training up there as well. I just love getting around and being with my mates."

Two of Geelong's fastest small forwards in Steven Motlop and Travis Varcoe have been earmarked for roles at half-back.

"They want to put me and Travvy at half-back, and we might also play a bit on the wing as well," Motlop said.

"It can be fun in the backline, not so much when you're chasing blokes, but it's good when you read the play and try to kick-start something. I like doing that."

Steven Motlop earns a NAB rising star nomination after tallying 28 disposals against Melbourne and says persistence was the key to breaking into the powerful Cats side.

"I had a pretty big pre-season and they were a pretty powerful side. I thought it would take a while, I knew my body wasn't as strong as everyone else's and I knew it would take a bit of time," he said.

"I was prepared to put in the hard work and hopefully my body can hold up now."

Mathew Stokes says small forward Steven Motlop has more talent than most players on Geelong's list.

"He's got more talent than most players at our club," Stokes said on SEN's Morning Glory program.

"If he keeps going the way he is now, he's going to be an amazing player for us. There's not many blokes who can move around like he does."

Steven Motlop knows young players will get an opportunity at Geelong this year and he is working towards seizing his chance.

"The list has changed a bit, with a few of the older guys gone, and it's exciting I reckon," Motlop said.

"There are spots available; you've just got to work hard and show the coaches that you've got what it takes. They're not just going to give the young blokes a game for the sake of it. You've got to earn it."

Steven Motlop makes his AFL debut for Geelong at the MCG with 2 disposals (2 kicks), a mark and a tackle in a 9-point win over Hawthorn.