Shannon Motlop facts for kids

Shannon Motlop was born on August 18, 1978. He is an Indigenous Australian football player from the Larrakia people. Shannon played Australian rules football as a midfielder or small forward. He played for two big teams in the Australian Football League (AFL): the Kangaroos and the Melbourne. After his time in the AFL, he continued to play for other clubs, including the Robinvale Football Club.

Early Football Journey

Shannon started his football journey with the Wanderers in the Northern Territory Football League. His family has a long history with this club. When he was a teenager, he moved to South Australia. There, he joined the North Adelaide Roosters in the South Australian National Football League. From there, the North Melbourne Kangaroos picked him in the 1998 National Draft. He was the 85th player chosen that year.

Playing for the Kangaroos

Shannon played seven games for the Kangaroos in his first year, 1999. This included the exciting 1999 AFL Grand Final, which his team won against the Carlton. He became a regular player for the next two years. During this time, his brother, Daniel Motlop, also joined the club.

However, Shannon's performance wasn't as strong in later years. He played only 12 games from 2002 until the end of 2003. After that, the Kangaroos decided not to keep him on their team. He then went back to play for the North Adelaide Roosters in 2004.

Time with Melbourne Football Club

In 2005, Shannon got another chance to play in the AFL. The Melbourne Football Club signed him. He joined them after a sad event: a player named Troy Broadbridge had passed away during the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Even though Shannon was a strong player for Melbourne's reserve team, the Sandringham Zebras, he didn't play many games for the main AFL team. The Zebras won championships in 2005 and 2006, and Shannon was a key part of their success. But he only played ten games for Melbourne before leaving the club at the end of 2006. He then returned to North Adelaide for a third time.

Playing for Dunolly

In 2009, Shannon decided to play for the Dunolly Football Club. This club is in country Victoria. He played a few games for Dunolly that year. In his very first play for the club, he scored a goal! He even played alongside another former AFL player, Robbie Ahmat.

In the 2009 Grand Final, Shannon was named the best player on the field. Even though Dunolly lost the game by a small margin, Shannon was a great addition to the team, both on and off the field.

Joining Robinvale

At the start of the 2010 Sunraysia Football League season, Shannon began a new adventure. He joined the Robinvale Football Club. One of the reasons he was interested in Robinvale was their special Indigenous round during the season.

Playing for St. Arnaud

In 2012, Shannon signed with the St. Arnaud Football Club. He played with the Saints as they tried to improve their standing in the league. He played in the 2012 Grand Final, where his team lost to Wedderburn. Shannon was also recognized as the runner-up for the club's Best and Fairest award that year.