Connor Rozee and fiancee Maisie Packer talk parenthood and first Father’s Day with Audrey

The Port Adelaide captain will celebrate his first Father’s Day with a beautiful newborn. And the good news for Power fans is the little girl is something of a good luck charm.

Connor Rozee acknowledges he has come a long way in the last six years. From AFL draftee, to debutant, to All Australian, Port Adelaide captain and best and fairest. And now father, soon-to-be husband and homeowner.

It’s a lot to pack in for a bloke who’s still only 24.

But as he sits on a couch holding three-month-old daughter Audrey, with her shock of black hair, and beside fiancee Maisie Packer, he appears at ease with all this rapid development.

Connor Rozee, his fiance Maisie and daughter Audrey will enjoy their first Father’s Day this Sunday.. Picture: Dean Martin.

As he readies for his first Father’s Day, Rozee said he thinks “quite often’’ about how his life has changed in recent years and speculates that being an AFL footballer made him grow up a bit faster than some of his contemporaries.

“I think being drafted and thrown into that environment probably makes you mature pretty quickly,’’ he said.

But, on the other hand, Rozee said he had always been a “bit more mature than some of the guys that are my age that are still going out and partying and that sort of stuff’’. And that maturity included wanting to start a family at an early age.

Connor Rozee thinks ‘quite often’ about how much his life has changed leading into his first Father’s Day. Picture: Dean Martin.

“I’ve always wanted to start a family a bit younger and fortunate. Fortunately, Maisie was on board with that, so it’s all worked out,’’ he said.

And there are already thoughts to add to the little family.

“Maisie comes from a big family, and I think this little one (Audrey) would like some brothers or sisters eventually,’’ he said.

When asked for a definition of ‘big’, the couple look at each other and decide that “four’’ could be a good number.

The pair are living with Maisie’s parents Seb and Sarah Packer while they wait for renovations on their own place to be completed, hopefully before the end of the year. The parental house will also host the couple’s wedding in late October.

Connor Rozee, his fiance Maisie and daughter Audrey. Picture: Dean Martin.

But the 23-year-old Ms Packer said having her parents around had been a great support in Audrey’s early days. Ms Packer is also one of four and Audrey is the second grandchild in that side of the family and the first on Rozee’s.

“That saying it takes a village has really come to life since having Audrey,’’ she said.

The pair met at a now forgotten nightclub in the city in the pre-Covid times.

When the lockdowns came they isolated together, which they reckon also moved things along a lot quicker than otherwise might have been the case.

But even so, the pregnancy came as a surprise. At the urging of one of Ms Packer’s sister she took a pregnancy test, not believing it would result in anything.

“It came back with a faint line and I thought it was sort of like a Covid test, where it wasn’t 100 per cent,’’ Rozee said.

Three-month-old Audrey in her dad’s colours. Picture: Supplied

Maisie Packer holding three-month-old daughter Audrey Picture: Supplied

“We were convinced it was a false positive,’’ Ms Packer said. They were both wrong.

Nine months later, Audrey came along.

“When she came along, there’s no real emotions that can describe the first few moments of when they come out and the amount of love that you have for them straight away. So, yeah, it’s pretty amazing experience,’’ Rozee said.

Connor Rozee said the Showdown can feel like a matter of life and death. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

“And then seeing that head of hair, I think, for the first (time), wow, but no, it was incredible, amazing,’’ Ms Packer said.

The new parents agreed Audrey has been a “very relaxed baby’’ so far, sleeping well and creating little fuss.

The interview is two days after that last contentious Showdown, which provoked much ill-feeling. Rozee said coming home to a baby helps put it all into perspective.

“Sometimes it feels like life or death, sometimes, especially, I guess, the game on the weekend, with the Showdown but it’s quite nice to come home to a little one, and you sort of realise that things are a bit bigger than football sometimes,’’ Rozee said. “We play a game for a living at the end of the day for entertainment, so to be able to start a family, that’s certainly something that is number one for me.’’

There are a number of recent dads at Alberton and Rozee said the best advice he has received so far is to sleep in a separate room the night before a game.

Father’s Day has fallen at a good time for the new family. The AFL’s home and away season finished last week, his Port Adelaide team safely in the finals finishing second on the ladder giving Rozee a game-free weekend to prepare for Thursday’s big final against Geelong.

Audrey may only be three months old but Port has won eight of its 11 games since she arrived. She’s Connor’s good luck charm. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

And Port Adelaide fans looking for a reason for the team’s late season surge to finish second on the AFL ladder should probably thank Audrey Rozee. Audrey may only be three months old but Port has won eight of its 11 games since she arrived.

Audrey has been to two games wearing a tiny Port Adelaide number 1 guernsey, both of which the Power won.

“She is a good luck charm,’’ her mother said.