Sam Powell-Pepper


Samuel Powell-Pepper is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League. He usually plays in a midfield role.

Early life

Powell-Pepper was born in Perth, the son of Maureen and Steven. His mother is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and his father is white. He has two full siblings and two half-brothers. His parents separated when he was young and he lived with his father until he was eight, then spent periods with his paternal grandmother, his mother, and friends' families. His maternal grandmother died in prison and his mother has also spent time in prison.
Powell-Pepper initially attended Mount Lawley Senior High School before switching to Wesley College on an indigenous scholarship. He went to school with Quinton Narkle who is his second cousin. He played junior football for the Mt Hawthorn Cardinals.
In 2016, Powell-Pepper made his senior debut for the East Perth Football Club during round 20 of the 2016 WAFL season going on to play all the remaining games for the year.

AFL career

Powell-Pepper was drafted by the Port Adelaide Football Club with their second selection and eighteenth overall in the 2016 national draft. He made his AFL debut in Port Adelaide's twenty-eight point win against in the opening round of the 2017 season at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was named that round's AFL Rising Star nominee after kicking two goals in the match, the first with his first kick in AFL football. In a game against Melbourne, he recorded 17 tackles, beating the club's previous record which was 16.

Statistics

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2017
! colspan=3| Career
! 22
! 16
! 13
! 172
! 184
! 356
! 56
! 104
! 0.7
! 0.6
! 8.2
! 8.8
! 17.0
! 2.7
! 5.0