The former Deni Rams junior is set to return to action after missing the 2021 AAMI Community Series clash against Adelaide earlier this month due to a cheek injury.
The injury came during a practice match against the Crows the week prior, but Marshall said he has been given the all clear to play this weekend.
‘‘My cheek is all good to go at this stage,’’ he said.
‘‘I just had a little depressed fracture in my cheek bone after I copped an elbow from Rory Sloane just below the eye.
‘‘Pre-season was good this year. I had one of my better ones with not many interruptions so hopefully I have a solid base now for games.’’
Marshall will be looking to build on what was his best season since arriving at Port Adelaide in the 2016 National Draft.
Last year he played a career-high 14 games, only missing five games because of a broken thumb, and booted 11 goals, none more important than a memorable long-range sealer against Geelong in the qualifying final.
While improvements were shown, Marshall said he aims to get even better this season.
‘‘Obviously, you want to play as many AFL games as you can each year and for me it’s about consistency,’’ he said.
‘‘I need to shorten the gap between my good and bad games and find that middle ground.
‘‘Hopefully I can mark a few more balls and kick a few more goals and shorten that gap between my good and bad. I’ll probably mix it up a bit between playing deep and playing higher up the ground.
‘‘I’ve been working on my running to be able to get up the ground and play a bit higher so I can get the ball and use my skills coming inside 50, but I’ll do whatever the team needs and if I need to be the one to create a contest then I want to be the player who can do that.’’
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