Port Adelaide midfielder Daniel Motlop has been suspended by the AFL club for one match after he left the team hotel ahead of Saturday's match against Melbourne in Darwin.

Motlop left the hotel in the early hours of Saturday morning after his girlfriend arrived in Darwin on a flight from Adelaide at 2am.

Power football operations manager Peter Rohde said the club-imposed suspension and a $2,500 fine had been given to Motlop for his breach of the team's match preparation standards.

"While we understand this is a challenging time for Daniel in his personal life and he believed he was doing the right thing by his girlfriend, he has nevertheless not met the standards the club requires or accepts regarding professional preparation for a game," Rohde said in a statement.

"We are very serious about setting high standards and Daniel has unfortunately not met those standards.

"He made a poor decision regarding his preparation and he accepts that."

Port Adelaide lost the match against the Demons by a point and the club says it doesn't know whether Motlop will make his playing return at AFL or SANFL level.

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