Justin Westhoff

Personal information
Birth	1 October 1986
Recruited from	Central Districts / SANFL
Height and weight	199cm / 94kg
Playing career¹
Debut	3 June 2007, Port Adelaide vs. Hawthorn, at AAMI Stadium
Team(s)	Port Adelaide (2007-) 14 games, 33 goals
¹ Statistics to end of the 2007 season
Career highlights
Round 15, 2007 AFL Rising Star Nomination 2007 Gavin Wanganeen Medal

Justin Westhoff, commonly referred to as "The Hoff", is a footballer currently playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL. He also plays for Central Districts in the SANFL. He is the older brother of Matthew Westhoff, who also plays for the Power and Central Districts. Westhoff was selected by Port Adelaide in the 2006 draft using their fifth round pick, being the 71st pick overall.^[1]

Westhoff was recruited to play as a ruckman for Port Adelaide, but has consolidated himself as a key forward.

[edit] Port Adelaide career

[edit] 2007

When drafted into the Power, Westhoff's appointed player-mentor was skipper Warren Tredrea.^[2]

On 17 April Westhoff was controversially suspended for two games for high contact on North Adelaide captain Darryl Wintle during Central District's 7 goal defeat of the Roosters in Round 1 of the SANFL. The suspension effectively prevented him from playing for three weeks, as Central Districts had a bye during that period.

On 3 June Westhoff's consistent goal kicking dominance at local level saw him make his AFL debut for Port Adelaide against Hawthorn. In an eventful debut he performed strongly, booting three goals (including 2 from his first 2 kicks) to become the first Power player to register a trio of majors on debut. Westhoff was also reported for charging the Hawks' Clinton Young in the last quarter, however this was later dismissed by the match review panel, as they deemed the contact unintentional and unavoidable.^[3]

Westhoff had his career best game against the West Coast Eagles in round 15 on 14 July kicking 4 goals, including 2 from contested marks on eventual All-Australian full back Darren Glass. Power coach Mark Williams praised the performance by calling his forward line work 'brilliant'.^[4] Westhoff's performance was further recognised with the AFL rising star nomination for Round 15.^[5]

Westhoff's strong season ended up in him finishing 4th in the 2007 AFL Rising Star competition gathering a total of 10 votes. He was also recognised with the Gavin Wanganeen Medal and the Best First Year Player award at the Power's club champion venue.

Westhoff played in Port Adelaide's losing AFL grand final side of 2007 at the MCG. His opponent on the day, Matthew Scarlett had 30 possessions while Westhoff was unable to have any impact on the game, frequently being pushed off in contests due to his slight stature.

[edit] 2008

The 2008 season saw Westhoff play a different role to the 2007 season in which he played more up the ground, unlike the previous season where he played a lot closer to the goals. As a result, Westhoff's goal kicking average saw a decline, only managing 22 goals in 21 games for the season, however this role increased his average of disposals up from 8.9 to 11.3; and marks up from 4.6 to 5.7 a game.

On 7 May Westhoff signed a 3 year contract extension to stay with the Power until the end of the 2011 season.

At one stage, Westhoff was also dropped from the Power's lineup in the round 13 game against the Richmond Tigers due to poor form. However he found his way back into the side the week after, by kicking 3 goals for the Central Districts.

[edit] 2009

Averaging 2.5 goals a game in the preseason, Westhoff was named in the Power's starting 18 against the Bombers for round 1, where he performed strongly kicking 3 goals, and picking up 15 disposals (including 10 marks). However, in round 2, he fractured his foot and was out for six weeks, being placed on the long-term injury list. He returned in round 11 after a late withdrawal from Robert Gray, and despite not having played any games since the injury, still managed to kick two goals, as well as 16 disposals (including 10 marks).

[edit] Cult status

Justin Westhoff is tall and slightly built, yet takes strong marks overhead. Commentator Dennis Cometti lightheartedly noted in the 2007 clash against Geelong at Kardinia Park, 'Westhoff looks like he couldn't bench-press his own socks' and in the 2007 Qualifying Final versus West Coast, 'just imagine next year; he'll actually have shoulders'. He already has a number of nicknames. He is regularly referred to by Power fans as 'The Hoff' (a nod to actor David Hasselhoff).

His untidy hair and face also bear an uncanny resemblance to Tom Williamson and actor Jon Heder, resulting in the second nickname Napoleon.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Justin Westhoff profile on the Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club
• Justin Westhoff's statistics from AFL Tables
• Justin Whesthoff's profile on ThePowerFromPort.com.au