Steven Salopek (born 21 June 1985) is an Australian rules footballer of Croatian descent who played for

Port Adelaide Football Club Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed the Power, whilst its reserv ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Narre Warren Football Club in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

's south-east, Salopek played for the

Dandenong Stingrays The Dandenong Southern Stingrays are an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. 1992 saw the birth of the Southern Stingrays, developed under the leadership of Steve Kennedy (Regional ...

in the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Vic ...

before being a first round drafted choice at the 2002 AFL Draft, being selected at number six by Port Adelaide. Salopek is currently an Assistant Coach (Backline) for the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, ...

Port Adelaide career

Salopek wore number 31 for Port Adelaide until

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

when he changed to number three and enjoyed probably his best season for Port Adelaide in 2006. Salopek was part of Port Adelaide's 2007 Grand Final side and had continued success from

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. However, recurring injuries would limit his playing time.

Glenelg Football Club 2012

When not in the Port Adelaide side, Salopek played with

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as th ...

(SANFL) team Glenelg. However, following his demotion to Glenelg's reserve side in 2012, Salopek sought and was granted a transfer to Port Adelaide's SANFL team.

Coaching

Carlton Football Club 2018 - Present

On the 9th of November, Salopek was announced as an Assistant Coach (Backline) for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salopek, Steven 1985 births Port Adelaide Football Club players Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions) Living people Australian people of Croatian descent Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Dandenong Stingrays players Glenelg Football Club players Port Adelaide Football Club (SANFL) players