And to earn the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for round nine has just topped it off for the young Crow, who is 302 games behind McLeod.
“It was definitely a good win for the team. We had our backs against the wall with three losses in a row. We really wanted to come out for Andrew as well,” Otten said.
“We were pretty pumped before the game to get off to a good start. Once we did that everything fell into place for us. Our instructions were right and it was a great win to be a part of.”
Otten was more than just a part of the win over Carlton, he was a key factor, gathering 23 disposals and kicking a goal.
It was the latest impressive performance in a season that has seen him play every senior game after getting a taste with two games last year.
He says his brief experience of AFL action last year taught him plenty about the elite level.
“Fitness was one of the things I worked on over summer and learning the pace of the game. I had to train at the same pace as the game. The training intensity and skills, I had to work on that as well.”
Otten is a keen student of the game and is learning all he can off one of Adelaide’s greats in McLeod.
“He looks after me in the locker rooms. I see him every day and we always have a chat to each other,” Otten said.
“He is really good to me, especially this year when he is playing down the backline where he has played a lot. On the track as well, he is usually pretty quiet but he will single out players and gives a lot of advice when we need it.”
After living with a host family last year, Otten is now sharing a house with teammate David MacKay and says he loves living in the city of churches.
“It helps that we’re both in the same house. It’s a big country town and it is very easy to get around. We’ve got a lot of places to go now and we’re pretty comfortable over here,” he said.
Otten said he loves the fact that Adelaide is such a football-mad town.
“There is a lot of hype around Adelaide and Port Adelaide, especially in the Showdowns. It is such a footy-driven state, which is fantastic for the supporters.”
