Port Adelaide news: Ken Hinkley comes to the defence of out-of-form young star Connor Rozee as Hamish Hartlett opens up on his omission
After another quiet game, some were calling for the out-of-form Connor Rozee to be dropped. But Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has another idea.
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Port Adelaide senior coach Ken Hinkley says critics need to “go steady” on young star Connor Rozee, who is in line for more time in the midfield this season.
Rozee has managed just 13 and eight disposals in his last two games, and has not kicked a goal.
The 21-year-old burst onto the scene in his first year in 2019, leading Port Adelaide’s goal kicking, but has only managed six majors in his half-forward role - sitting among the Power’s top-three sliders according to Champion Data - this season.
And while he had a foot issue at the start of the year, that required surgery after pre-season, Hinkley said the young tyro was 100 per cent fit ahead of some planned increased minutes in the midfield.
“There should be (an increase),” Hinkley said.
“There will be a balance. What we are lucky with is that we have a number of players that can play through the midfield.
“And a lot is about who is playing well on the day.
“But we would expect Connor would only grow his midfield minutes as the season progresses.”
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A quiet game against Collingwood on Sunday sparked reports that Rozee’s place in the team was in danger but Hinkley said that was nowhere near being the case.
“I think that the problem that you have at half-forward is that the way we view it, it is a challenging role to play sometime,” he said.
“Some weeks it can be hard when the team is not at its absolute best.
“I think there is a fascination with him given he is a bit down on his own form.
“But let’s go steady, he is a pretty good player.”
The Power have made only one change to their team to take on Fremantle on Sunday, with vice-captain Hamish Hartlett dropped for Orazio Fantasia.
Hartlett on Friday opened up about his omission, saying his form has been inconsistent and the pressure he was putting on himself to perform caused mental anguish.
Hinkley said the move was about taking some of that pressure off Hartlett.
“We all know that Hamish has had challenges with his body but they have been pretty good since he did his knee,” he said.
“For him, it is about getting a good feel on the footy and get some confidence about his body.
“My biggest opportunity to help Hamish is to be there and care for him and show him great support. I will always do that with all my players whether they be in the leadership group or in their first or second year.
“The thing is that we know Hamish is openly talking about that it is challenging him… and sometimes to support them is to give them a bit of a break from the pressure and even at training this week I’ve seen a more relieved Hamish when he has had a kick and a catch.”
The Power are expected to give their players a few days off after the Dockers’ match, with Port set to have its mid-season bye next week.
Hinkley said the players would remain in South Australia if they get a few days off, given the evolving Covid outbreak in Melbourne.
The Power had to get its players and staff tested for the virus after they shared a flight back from Victoria with fans who had sat in the vicinity of an infected person during their win over Collingwood.
Hinkley said he would like the club to have chartered flights for away games from now on.
“It is 100 per cent clear that we should do if we can do, it is a challenge and I would imagine there are costs on that,” he said.
“But, 100 per cent, if it lessens the risk we take, and it seems like it is less risk that we are flying on a plane on our own, I think it makes sense.”
Power leader’s stark admission after shock axing
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Port Adelaide veteran Hamish Hartlett has opened up about being dropped, saying his form has been inconsistent and putting pressure on himself to perform has caused mental anguish.
Hartlett, who the Power omitted on Thursday night for Sunday’s home game against Fremantle, called his conversation with coach Ken Hinkley about his axing a circuit-breaker.
The 30-year-old defender will play for the Magpies against his junior club, West Adelaide, in the SANFL on Saturday.
“My form’s been inconsistent, not great, not as great as I would’ve liked,” Hartlett told FIVEaa.
“Over the last few weeks I’ve just been heaping this pressure and expectation upon myself to play better and better and better, and when I haven’t that’s caused some more mental anguish.
“We feel like that, combined with a bit of form, is a good opportunity for me to get back playing Magpies and relieve a bit of stress and mental pressure.
“I’ve found, particularly recently, I’m falling into this real negative self-talk cycle of focusing on the things I’m not doing real well, instead of the few things in the game I am doing well, and that’s compounding the issue.
“There’s a few things that I need to put back in place to get back on track from a mental point of view.”
Hartlett had contemplated a complete rest this weekend but hoped featuring in the state league would freshen him up.
“I am super excited to just get out and play footy, get back to really loving the game,” he said.
“(Magpies coach) Matty Lokan has already come up to me to ask me what position I want to play.
“Playing with a bit of that freedom in the mind is going to be really important, a great step to hopefully finding some more consistent and better form.
“We’ll see how things go from there.”
Hartlett is the Power’s only omission and he has been replaced by Orazio Fantasia, who returns from a leg injury.
Fantasia missed last week’s one-point win over Collingwood at the MCG.
Adelaide is unchanged for its clash with Richmond at Giants Stadium on Sunday.
Shock leadership omission makes way for Orazio return
Port Adelaide has axed leadership group member Hamish Hartlett as it prepares to welcome back forward Orazio Fantasia from knee soreness.
Fantasia missed his first game of 2021 when he was sidelined for the Power’s one-point win over Collingwood at the MCG last Sunday.
He completed Thursday’s session at Alberton Oval to confirm his availability.
Speaking before the team announcement, Power midfielder Karl Amon said Fantasia was an important player.
“Orazio, Mots (Steven Motlop) and Roze (Connor Rozee), when they’re all firing, they’re pretty hard to stop,” Amon said.
Rozee has been quiet the past two games, registering just eight disposals and zero inside 50s or clearances against the Magpies.
Amon said the 21-year-old, who was sidelined for the first two rounds due to surgery on his right foot and played with a separate plantar fascia issue last season, was not far away from his best.
“Connor certainly wouldn’t have had the start to the year he would’ve liked,” he said.
“We’re trying to get the ball in his hands because once he does (get it), he does some pretty special stuff.”
Amon said the team was not playing well but remained confident of its quality.
He said Fremantle, sitting 10th with a 5-5 record, two wins fewer than the Power, would be a difficult opponent.
“They’ve got some really good experience in the midfield with (David) Mundy and (Nat) Fyfe, and they’ve obviously got a younger brigade with (Adam) Cerra and (Andrew) Brayshaw,” he said.
“In the midfield it’s going to be a really good battle.”
Amon, one of seven Indigenous players at the Power, was looking forward to wearing the guernsey created by artist Elle Campbell.
“The whole meaning behind the guernsey and her story is really special,” Amon said.
The Hinkley message that sparked Power surge
- Liz Walsh
It was the four-minute mark of the final term, as Port Adelaide ventured deep into its forward line.
Down by 13 points, the Power had been given strict instructions from coach Ken Hinkley: take risks, take the game on.
It was at this point that Charlie Dixon gave away a free kick for high contact on Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy.
Grundy sent his kick backwards toward the Port goal, with Isaac Quaynor marking in the pocket and quickly sending a chip kick the way of Jordan Roughead.
Dixon saw his chance, lunging toward Roughead, putting a diving smother on the ball, which teammate Dan Houston picked up and snapped truly at goal.
“I was pretty pissed off, I’d given away a free kick, and then I was just coming forward and (Roughead) marked the ball and moved straight away, so I was able to come at him and I just went for it,” Dixon said.
“To then watch the ball go over my head, and Houston able to go through to goal, definitely makes the sore forearms worth it, that’s for sure.”
Dixon’s huge smother was a momentum-shifter, sparking the Power into a final-term goal frenzy after three sluggish, low-scoring quarters.
Fifteen minutes after his diving effort, Port had piled on another three goals to Robbie Gray, Sam Powell-Pepper and Ollie Wines, finally taking the lead after trailing for 100-odd minutes.
The 30-year-old key forward had other big moments in the final term, among them a well-timed banana kick out of defence finding a running Powell-Pepper that resulted in a rushed behind that put Port in front.
He finished with one goal and had 13 touches, two clearances and helped out in the ruck, when Peter Ladhams needed a rest against All-Australian Grundy.
Dixon – who has kicked 15 goals from 10 games in 2021 – has been coming under fire in recent weeks for his form, but surely he went a long way to silencing those critics at the MCG on Sunday.
Dixon said he paid no attention to any outside noise about his performances.
“All I need to listen to is my teammates and my coaches,” he said.
“My job is just to be a barometer of the contest and I thought I brought a half-decent contest and was able to hit the scoreboard once and just do my job.”
Dixon paid tribute to his teammates for their resolve to get back into the game in the last quarter, saying that the key to the turnaround was Port’s ability to attack the ball.
“We had gone into our shell, playing it safe and kicking it down the line,” he said.
“We played into their hands.
“But to be able to come back and to be have been losing for most of the game and then to be able to hold out for the last couple of minutes and win the game is awesome.
“It was a scrappy win, but we’ll take it.”
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley praised his side’s “enthusiasm” and an ever-reliable Robbie Gray after a final quarter comeback secured a one-point win over an embattled Collingwood.
The Magpies fought hard and had the better of the Power most of the day but wasted opportunities inside forward 50 meant they were never able to pull away on the scoreboard.
Hinkley said it was a “scrappy, hard fought” win after his side stormed home with four final-quarter goals to overturn a 13-point margin to take the four points on Sunday.
He said the message at three-quarter time was to play with a “bit more enthusiasm”, and it worked as the Power banged on four majors in a row to take the lead for the first time all day.
“Clearly we needed to kick a score,” Hinkley said.
“That was the message – ‘let’s just go after this a bit, let’s take some risks’.
“It wasn’t a great game, there was a clear style that Collingwood wanted to hold onto the ball on us and keep the ball off us.
“We stuck at it and we won, and that’s going to make up our season.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to put a season together and there will be some poor performances, not very often you get a poor performance and you get a win out of it.”
Hinkley said the Power had to rely on their quality players to get the result, praising the performance of Gray (three goals) who stood up with a crucial final quarter major when the game was on the line.
“He’s always been reliable for when we need him and pretty grateful he was out there today when you win a game like that,” he said.
Hinkley also commended the efforts of Collingwood after a tough week off the field, saying they played a better brand of footy for most of the game.
“They’ve had enough stuff thrown at them and to Bucks (Nathan Buckley) and their team, they’ve managed to stick at it,” he said.
“They played a pretty good brand of footy they wanted to play to challenge us and they managed to do it better than us for most parts of the game.”
Hinkley said his glass was half full despite Port’s brand of footy being a fair way away from what they wanted.
“There’s no messing around, we didn’t play our best footy,” he said.
“We accept that and we take that on board, we’ll be better than that and we’ll keep building.
“If we don’t get better, we won’t contend when it comes to count.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position to go at it but we’ve still got to improve. We’re 7-3 and in AFL football I know 7-3 is a pretty good result.”
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