Teenage Port Adelaide key forward Todd Marshall making waves at Alberton
THREE-GAME key forward Todd Marshall is Port Adelaide’s “special’’ one, exciting coaches and teammates alike with his exciting bag of tricks.
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TODD Marshall is Port Adelaide’s “special’’ one.
It seems the former star junior cricketer who is completing just his second full football pre-season cannot get a mention from coach Ken Hinkley and captain Travis Boak without the word “special’’ being used.
“He’s a special player,’’ Hinkley says repeatedly.
Boak this week backed up his coach’s sentiments by being gushing in his praise of the 198cm key forward, who has added 5kg of muscle to his now-91kg frame over summer.
“I love Toddy and the excitement he is going to bring to our forward line, he’s a very special player,’’ Boak said.
“He’s very good overhead, great at ground level for a big man, he can kick with both feet and he has the ability to dance around opponents like they aren’t there.
“He’s a super-talent who is so agile that he’s almost like a tall and small forward in the one package.
“Clearly he’s still very raw and is still learning the game but players like him are pretty rare.’’
The Power’s only 300-game player, Kane Cornes, noted that Marshall — in his second year at the club — is already “one of Hinkley’s favourites’’.
While Port’s three big recruits — former Lion Tom Rockliff, ex-Cat Steven Motlop and former Demon Jack Watts — have captured the off-season headlines, Marshall, who played three AFL games in his debut season, has quietly gone about his business of bulking up and getting better.
“Getting a second pre-season into me has been great for my development,’’ 19-year-old Marshall, who hails from Deniliquin in NSW’s Riverina district, told The Advertiser.
“Because of cricket and a few injuries I hadn’t done a full pre-season until last year and being a first-year player the club restricted my workloads.
“This year I’ve been chucked into the deep end and while it’s been an eye-opener I’ve got through it so far and have learned just how far you can push yourself.
“Having put on some weight and strength I’ve found I can hold my ground more easily in marking contests and use my body better, which has definitely made a difference.
“It should enable me to take more contested marks and give me another weapon to go with my speed.’’
While Marshall has enjoyed a strong pre-season, he is still mourning the loss of his “biggest fan” — his mother Mary — who died of cancer in October.
“She was my biggest fan and I miss her so much,’’ he said.
“I’m just glad that she saw my (AFL) debut. That was one of my proudest moments.’’
Mary and husband Rob — along with his older siblings Tony, 40, Janelle, 38, Luke, 36, and Sam, 22 — were on hand to watch Todd make his AFL debut against the Western Bulldogs at Mars Stadium in Ballarat in Round 22.
“It was tough seeing mum so sick,’’ Marshall said.
“I used footy as a bit of an escape during the year and went home at the end of the season to be with my family.’’
Fellow key forward Charlie Dixon — Port’s leading goalkicker (49) and mark-taker (149) last season — praised Marshall for overcoming such a tragedy and not missing a beat at training.
“Toddy’s been unreal with the circumstances he’s had to deal with, really tough conditions, to have the strength to come back and train the way he has,’’ Dixon said.
A gifted sportsman, Marshall once took cricket more seriously than football.
While his height suggests he should have been a fast bowler steaming in from a long run, Marshall was an off-spinner.
He bamboozled batsmen with his spin and bounce to such effect that he was selected in consecutive New South Wales under-15 State teams and toured England with the NSW schoolboys team.
Among his teammates were Australian under-19 World Cup players Jason Sangha, Param Uppal and Max Bryant.
“I played junior footy at Deniliquin but at that stage I had been focused on cricket more,’’ said Marshall, whose boyhood idol was 79-Test Australian batsman Mike Hussey.
“It was a good trip and I loved the sights in England but my performances weren’t what they could have been, which took some of the enjoyment away. And I missed footy and being around my mates at local level.’’
When Marshall returned to Australia he quickly decided that football was his go.
He was invited to trial for Victorian TAC Cup team Murray Bushrangers, which trained at Wangaratta, a two-hour drive along the Murray Valley Highway from his Deniliquin home.
Raw but displaying exceptional athletic ability and skills for a big man — he models his game on Gold Coast star Tom Lynch — Marshall flashed moments of brilliance for the Bushrangers.
This prompted Port to select him with its first pick, No. 16 overall, at the 2016 national draft.
Considered a project player, Marshall pushed ahead of his development curve by performing strongly in the SANFL for the Port Magpies and playing three AFL games late last year, including the epic, extra-time semi-final loss to West Coast.
He also played in the Magpies' losing grand final to Sturt.
“It was a tough way to end the year but I was pleased — and surprised — to play some AFL in my first season,’’ Marshall said.
“I probably wasn't physically prepared for the AFL so they were bonus games and have given me an important taste of what’s required at the top level.
“I loved every minute of them and it’s just made me hungrier to force my way into the team — and make an impact — this year.’’
Assistant coach Matthew Nicks described Marshall’s pre-season as “really strong’’ and said he is in the conversation to play in round one.
“He showed in our intra-club game that he’s got some dukes, skills and smarts,’’ Nicks said.
“When you start to put together your first six or seven forwards he’s very much in that group. If everyone is fit and firing it’s a tough group to get into with the likes of Dixon, Robbie Gray and Watts, but he’s playing really well.’’
andrew.capel@news.com.au
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