Crows draftee Danielle Ponter impresses in her first game of AFLW in front of uncle Michael Long

Crows draftee Danielle Ponter comes from good football stock and her uncle Michael Long and cousin Cyril Rioli were on hand to watch as she made her AFLW debut for Adelaide

SHE comes from impressive football stock, so it was no wonder the 19-year-old Danielle Ponter impressed coaches in her first outing in the Crows tricolours.

Watching Ponter debut her booming kick at AFLW level in Saturday night’s 20-point win over Fremantle in a trial game at TIO Stadium in Darwin were uncle and Essendon great Michael Long and cousin and recently retired Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli.

Ponter said she was honoured to have them watching on.

“I think half the crowd were family or friends,” she said.

“I looked over and saw Uncle Mick and also looked towards the crowd and I saw Cyril there, I’m so grateful for their support.

“They have their own lives and things to do, but still they came out and supported me as well as my other family.”

In the minutes before the game, Ponter’s mother Susie Long said she couldn’t wait to watch her daughter run out with the team.

“Pretty nervous, pretty proud, can’t actually believe it’s going to happen,” she said.

“Just waiting for her to run onto the field, and there will probably be a few tears as well.”

Susie said Ponter, who celebrated her 19th birthday this month, had been training hard despite a difficult few months following the death of one of her close friends.

“But she’s built herself up and kept herself going,” she said.

Adelaide Crows' Danielle Ponter, centre, hands out high fives to family members as she takes to the field in front of a home crowd during the AFLW trial match against the Fremantle Dockers in Darwin. Picture: Justin Kennedy

More used to playing through the midfield in local leagues, Ponter was surprised to get a call from coach Matthew Clarke a fortnight ago saying she’d be trialled in defence.

“I was very surprised and I talked to my dad about it because he played down back in the local leagues and he helped me out there and he gave me a few tips and so did the girls.”

But the trial seemed to work.

“It was something new for me, but the girls and the coaches massive support and pushed me through that game and helped me through.

Post-game Clarke said the decision to play her in the backlines was because of her “beautiful kick”.

“We figured if we could get the ball in her hands she’d be really useful in terms of taking the ball forward and even though she hasn’t played down there before, sometimes with the ball and the game coming at you, it’s not a bad way to learn your craft,” he said.

“And overall, I think she did pretty well.”

Ponter said she the game was a pleasing welcoming to the AFLW level.

“It was a different level of football, it was a hard hitout but that’s something I will get used to,” she said.

Originally published as Crows draftee Danielle Ponter impresses in her first game of AFLW in front of uncle Michael Long