AFL Round 6 Port Adelaide v West Coast: All the latest news and reaction

One of the AFL’s most highly rated young stars three years ago, Connor Rozee was becoming a punching bag rather than a star. One switch may have supercharged his career revival.

Connor Rozee had attended just seven centre bounces this year until half-time of last week’s game against Carlton.

He has been in the middle for 29 since then.

Probably not coincidentally, Rozee has played easily his best football of the season in those past six quarters as a full-time on-baller.

Against the Blues at the MCG, he had 14 touches and a goal in the second half, helping the Power cut a 50-point deficit to three and earning two AFL Coaches Association votes.

On Saturday, the 22-year-old was awarded the Peter Badcoe VC Medal for his 31-disposal, eight-clearance and five-tackle performance in the 84-point home hammering of West Coast.

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Connor Rozee is congratulated by teammates for winning the Badcoe Medal. Picture: Getty

Rozee told News Corp the main reason he played in attack early in the season was because of personnel – the Power was missing small forwards Robbie Gray, Orazio Fantasia and Kane Farrell.

All off-season, Port Adelaide spruiked how Rozee would get more midfield opportunities in 2022, along with Zak Butters and several other youngsters, yet until last week, he was mainly stationed in his customary spot at half-forward.

The North Adelaide premiership player felt it affected his form a little because it was a more difficult position to play well consistently, particularly given the team’s winless start.

“Sometimes it’s hard to get involved as a half-forward because it’s getting kicked over your head or not getting kicked to you,” Rozee said.

“That’s why I like going back into the midfield and get back into the game and I feel I can build my confidence through that.

“I’m obviously happy to play forward if I have to, but when we have everyone back and I can get back into the midfield, that’s where I think I can have a pretty big impact.

“It’s nice to go in there, have a bit of a longer stint and feel like I’m a bit more part of the midfield now.

“Hopefully, like the team, I can keep building on this.”

Rozee (left) and Port Adelaide have had a patchy start to the year - but turned it around against West Coast. Picture: Getty

Rozee described his form to start the year as inconsistent.

He played through an ankle problem in the first two rounds, twisting it during pre-season.

Like the Power, his contested efforts were an issue.

Those two factors also might have restricted his midfield time.

“I wasn’t clean over the footy,” he said.

“We had a couple of wet games and I was a bit fumbly, and that probably shot my confidence a little bit.

“Hopefully I’ve got that spark back now and I feel like I’m back to my best.”

When Rozee is down on confidence or form, he does not speak to too many people, especially outside the club.

Instead, he leans on his line coaches Nathan Bassett and Brett Montgomery, as well as senior mentor Ken Hinkley, plus his family.

Power coach Ken Hinkley made the tactical switch which brought Rozee into the contest more. Picture: Getty

They told him to get back to his strengths: being clean in possession and to take the match on when he had the footy.

“I can break a game apart when I’m playing at my best so by getting those fundamentals right, the good things will come off that,” he said.

“Not focusing on doing the fancy things first, but those will come if you get the fundamentals right.”

Rozee’s performances have arguably been critiqued externally as much as – if not more than – any other Power player since his arrival to Alberton at the end of 2018.

So much so that it is easy to forget he is only in his fourth season.

A lot of the scrutiny comes from being pick 5 in a so-called super draft.

Then there are the expectations because of his scintillating debut season.

In 2019, Rozee finished runner-up to Sam Walsh in the league’s Rising Star award, led the Power’s goalkicking with 29 from 22 matches and placed fourth in the club’s best-and-fairest.

It led to Kane Cornes famously saying – after Round 11 in their first seasons – that if he was Carlton he would have drafted Rozee first instead of Walsh because he did think the Blue had the Power player’s matchwinning attributes.

A young Connor Rozee in 2019 entered the league with big expectations on his shoulders. Picture: AAP

Rozee has not finished in the top 10 of Port Adelaide’s best-and-fairest in his two seasons since and Cornes has backed down on his assessment.

Others have taken aim in the meantime.

After the Power’s 64-point Round 2 home loss to Hawthorn, Fox Footy’s David King said Rozee had “gone from a headache to a migraine” for the club.

Rozee collected 13 touches and kicked one goal that night after five disposals and one major in Round 1.

“Is he a contested possession player? Is he a fruit as a top 10 draft pick, or is this what he is? If he is, I think they’re in a bit of trouble,” King said.

Early in his career, Rozee liked taking in what was being said or written about him.

“As you do when everyone’s pumping you up and saying you’re going to be a good player,” he said.

Not so much anymore.

“I think I’ve matured a lot and learnt a lot in the last couple of years in terms of when you’re not playing your best football and people can jump off you as quick as they can jump on,” he said.

“My Dad always tells me ‘things are never as good as you think they are or as bad as you think they are’.

“Football is just a game and I want to do my best every week, and that’s what I’m doing.

“It’s not good enough for some people, but the boys are trying their hearts out every week and that’s all that you can ask for.”

Port Adelaide went back to basics against the Eagles: and it worked. Picture: Getty

With a 0-5 record ahead of the Eagles game in the Anzac round, the Power went back to basics, focusing on working harder than the opposition and winning contested balls. They did both, while wearing guernseys with the mantra of club legend and war hero Bob Quinn concealed inside: “Always give more than anyone else”.

Rozee starred, registering a career-best in disposals, including a game-high 15 contested.

But he was surprised to receive the medal, expecting it to go to five-goal teammate Todd Marshall.

“I’ve had some great-grandparents serve so it’s special for me personally and the family,” he said on a day that also meant plenty to the Power, which always sought a home Anzac fixture.

“It’s a great honour.”

Hinkley called Rozee’s uptick in form “a significant step”.

“We haven’t been playing great footy and Connor’s been part of some of that, not all of it,” Hinkley said.

“The second half last week we’ve seen a step forward and he was a really worthy winner tonight for the medal.”

Rozee scraps for the ball against West Coast. Picture: Getty

Feeling fresh and with more crunch matches on the horizon for the Power, starting with St Kilda (5-1) in Cairns next week, Rozee hoped his strong performances would lead to staying in the midfield.

“You don’t get told on a Tuesday ‘you’re playing 60 per cent (on-ball)’,” he said.

“A lot of it is based on how you’re feeling in a game.

“If someone is playing well, it’s always better to have them inside and if someone’s playing well down forward, it’s better to have them forward.

“Tonight I get my opportunity off (the back of) last week and I’ve got to keep taking it when I get it.”

PORT CLICKS INTO GEAR WITH HUGE WIN – BUT IS IT A FALSE DAWN?

Was that the start of a turnaround for Port Adelaide or a false dawn?

That is what the football world will be wondering of the Power after its breakthrough win against West Coast at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

Ken Hinkley’s side showed glimpses of why it was a preliminary finalist in each of the past two seasons during the 84-point demolition of the Eagles.

But how much can we read into the result given West Coast’s struggles?

As good as Port Adelaide looked in patches, the injury-hit Eagles were poor.

Can the Power replicate that type of performance against better sides?

It will need to if it is to make a finals charge.

At 1-5, there is still hope, but that will be quickly extinguished if Port Adelaide cannot beat in-form St Kilda or last season’s grand finalist the Western Bulldogs over the next fortnight.

Jeremy Finlayson booted five goals for the Power on Saturday. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Beyond that are matches against battling North Melbourne in Hobart, a very difficult clash with Geelong at the Cattery and out-of-sorts Essendon at home.

Then the Power has its bye in Round 12.

We will almost certainly know by then if Port Adelaide is a potential major-round player or whether Hinkley’s job is in trouble.

On form, the Saints will start warm favourites next week, even though it is a home game in Cairns, rather than Marvel Stadium.

The Power will go in with confidence, believing some things that have been awry are starting to click.

Its trio of tall forwards are just one example.

Barring Todd Marshall’s five-goal Showdown effort, there had been a lack of connection between the spearheads and none had stood tall when it mattered in Charlie Dixon’s absence.

On Saturday, Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson booted five each, while Mitch Georgiades (one major) was strong in the first half.

The Power also won the contested possessions battle for just the second time this season on Saturday night, 147-113.

But again, this was a West Coast side without Nic Naitanui, Jeremy McGovern, Andrew Gaff, Dom Sheed, Oscar Allen and a long way off its best.

Todd Marshall also finished with a bag of five as Port’s forwards flourished. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

One of the few downsides for the hosts was star veteran Robbie Gray jarring his right knee during the third term.

He was substituted out of the game but Fox Footy’s Mark Ricciuto said early signs were positive.

Hinkley has been maintaining belief during the winless stretch, saying after last week’s loss to the Blues that his team was getting closer to its best and could reach the top eight: “My history tells me you can still lose five in a row and make finals.”

Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy that Saturday’s win would give Hinkley “further faith and hope”.

Colleague Jason Dunstall said the Power’s first quarter against the Saints would tell a big story.

“We just can’t accept that they’ve had a good win and they’re back to their best,” Dunstall said.

“They’ve got to produce against St Kilda next week, then those next four games, we need to see this standard as a regular.

Connor Rozee won the Badcoe Medal against the Eagles. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

MATCH REPORT: Rozee kickstart Port’s season

- Jason Phelan

Port Adelaide’s sputtering season has roared to life with Connor Rozee and Ollie Wines driving the Power to a crushing 84-point win against hapless West Coast on Saturday.

Scores were level after a dour first term at Adelaide Oval, but Port set up its first win of the season in a devastating seven-goals-to-none second quarter to snap a run of five losses with an 18.9 (117) to 4.9 (33) victory.

Relishing more time in the midfield, Rozee was the architect of the impressive performance with 20 possessions in the first half before finishing with a career-high 32 touches to claim the Peter Badcoe VC Medal.

“We’ve taken a step forward, which is clearly what we were trying to achieve,” Ken Hinkley said.

“We knew where we were at and we stuck to task.

“I think (Connor) showed some growth and he took a significant step too.

“He’s taken a step forward and was a really worthy winner of the medal.”

Wines also starred with 33 disposals in his return from the heart scare he suffered in round four, with Travis Boak amassing 34 possessions.

Jeremy Finlayson enjoyed his best game since his off-season switch from GWS with a career-high equalling five goals, with Todd Marshall also setting a new career benchmark with five majors.

The Covid-ravaged Eagles started brightly enough, but fell away badly in the face of the Power’s second-quarter surge to suffer their first loss to Port at Adelaide Oval.

Tim Kelly battled bravely but after opening the scoring with a goal 46 seconds into the match, the visitors couldn’t muster another major until just over two minutes into the final term.

“Obviously we’re nowhere near the standard (required) at the moment,” Adam Simpson said.“Our ability to sustain effort, intensity and work rate is not there.”

Connor Rozee and Zak Butters close in on star Eagle Tim Kelly. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Which Port?

After last week’s Jekyll and Hyde performance against Carlton, the big question heading into the clash was ‘Which Port Adelaide side will show up?’

The rag-tag bunch that trailed by 49 points at half-time against the Blues or the well-tuned unit that stormed home in the second to fall three points short of a breakthrough win?

Early on it was the first option.

Port was dogged by turnovers and skill errors in the first quarter, but a struggling Eagles’ side missing players of the calibre of Nic Naitanui, Jeremy McGovern, Andrew Gaff and Dom Sheed couldn’t capitalise.

Power statement

Ken Hinkley’s men made a statement in the second quarter: ‘We’re back!’.

The run from defence, the quick ball movement, the connection with a forward line where dangerous players lurked - facets of the game that were missing at different stages in an 0-5 start - were all back in full effect.

With Rozee and Wines dominating the stoppages, Marshall was the focal point with three goals, including a nonchalant snap after a superb one-handed grab.

Karl Amon, dropped during the week but a late inclusion for the ill Miles Bergman, made the most of his reprieve to stretch the Power’s lead and Kane Farrell, in his first game back from a knee reconstruction, was mobbed by teammates after he curled in a fantastic goal.

The situation only got worse for the Eagles with Elliot Yeo subbed out of the game shortly before half-time after a nasty head clash.

Gray gone

One of the few sour notes for the home side was the sight of Robbie Gray hobbling to the bench in the third quarter.

The star veteran was subbed out of the match, but is understood to have only suffered a jarred right knee.

The visitors were 60 points down at three-quarter time and fought back with the first three goals of the final term.

But Finlayson and Wines contributed as the Power fired home the last seven goals of the game.

Darcy Byrne-Jones fires out a handpass. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Scoreboard

POWER 1.2 8.5 11.8 18.9 (117)

EAGLES 1.2 1.4 1.8 4.9 (33)

PHELAN’S BEST POWER: Rozee, Wines, Finlayson, Boak, Houston, Marshall, Powell-Pepper, Hayes. EAGLES: Kelly, Witherden, Hurn, Naish.

GOALS POWER: Finlayson 5, Marshall 5, Amon, Farrell, Georgiades, Gray, Houston, Wines, Motlop, Powell-Pepper. EAGLES: Cripps, Kennedy, Darling, Ryan.

INJURIES POWER: Gray (knee). EAGLES: Yeo (head knock).

UMPIRES Haussen, Johanson, Glouftsis.

28,587 at ADELAIDE OVAL

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

JASON PHELAN’S VOTES

3 Rozee (Port)

2 Wines (Port)

1 Finlayson (Port)