WHEN Port Adelaide forward Corey Durdin steps onto Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon, it won't just be for him, his teammates, or for his club. 

This Anzac Day, he'll also be representing the entire Durdin family, and more specifically, his great, great grandfather William Reginald Durdin, who served in the first World War. 

William's four medals will be taking pride of place on the right-hand side of Corey's chest during the pre-game observance ceremony. In doing so, he'll make history as the first AFL player to wear his ancestor's medals on game day. 

"I'm incredibly proud to wear the medals," Corey said. 

"It's a pretty cool feeling. I know it hasn't been done before so to be able to show the work of someone in my family and celebrate someone on the big stage in front of everyone, I'm pretty excited for it."

William was an ammunition carrier and was awarded a Military Medal for his heroism at Anzac Ridge on an October day in 1917. 

He was lucky to survive a landmine explosion while undergoing his duties on the frontline – his head was cut from eye to ear by exploding shrapnel while delivering ammunition to his fellow soldiers. 

The driver of the ammunition cart and four horses were killed in the same blast. 

William was patched up in the field to continue his work, moving valuable ammunition to where it needed to go. 

Corey tells William’s story with such pride, and he feels a sense of responsibility to pay homage to all those who served.  

"I think it's just a day for my family and myself to be proud of the service that's run through our family and the sacrifices they've made," Corey said. 

"(William) still decided to push through and get through that pain and deliver that ammo. To do that through that kind of adversity, we're just really proud of his story. You've got to be pretty grateful for blokes like that."

This year marks Port Adelaide’s 22nd consecutive Anzac Appeal Round home game, with the club’s deep connection to the Australian Defence Force prompting the same fixture request each season. 

And it just so happens that, in Corey’s first year at the Power, the game falls on Anzac Day itself. 

"It's nice for the whole club and the Port Adelaide community to be able to emphasise what the day is," Corey said. 

"It's an important day for us. Sometimes it can get forgotten in day-to-day life but to have a day where we can celebrate it and everyone can show gratitude toward our Anzacs, it's pretty special."