Rising Star contender Connor Rozee on verge of becoming Port Adelaide’s youngest leading goalkicker
Power premiership ruckman and former GWS assistant coach Dean Brogan says Port’s Connor Rozee has had the biggest impact of any first year player he’s worked with.
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Dean Brogan played with and coached some exceptional young talent in six years at Greater Western Sydney.
He says what Port Adelaide sensation Connor Rozee has delivered in his first season of AFL is “as good as I’ve seen from a kid’’.
It is a ringing endorsement of the Power’s number five draft pick from last year, given Brogan witnessed the development of gun midfielders Josh Kelly, whose contract is reported to be worth about $900,000 a season, Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper at the Giants from 2012-17.
“I was at the Giants around some pretty good talent and Connor is as good as I’ve seen from a kid as far as making an impact in his first year is concerned,’’ said 2004 Power premiership ruckman Brogan, who is in his first year as Port ruck coach.
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“He is a gem and has all the tools to be an absolute superstar.
“You don’t say that word, superstar, too loosely but we've got high hopes for him.
“He’s going to be a sensational player.’’
Rozee, 19 and a North Adelaide SANFL premiership player in his first season of league football last year, has played all 21 home-and-away matches for the Power in his rookie AFL season.
He sensationally leads Port’s goalkicking with one minor round game to play, with his 27 majors being three more than four-times All-Australian Robbie Gray.
Small forward Sam Gray sits third with 20.
Not turning 20 until January 22, Rozee would become the Power's youngest leading goalkicker, edging club great Warren Tredrea, who won the first of his record eight club goalkicking awards in 1998 at age 19.
The powerhouse key forward turned 20 on December 24 that year.
It is a remarkable effort from athletic utility Rozee, who has been playing as a medium forward with the Power after lining up at half-back in the Roosters’ upset grand final triumph against Norwood.
Throw in the fact that he is averaging 15.4 disposals, 3.5 marks and four tackles and in most other years he would be a lock for the AFL Rising Star award.
But Rozee is up against a player that has enjoyed a rookie year for the ages in Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh, who has averaged 25 disposals in 22 games.
No other first-year player has been as prolific since Champion Data began recording statistics in 1999.
The Rising Star winner will be announced in Melbourne on Friday.
While Walsh — the first player selected at last year’s draft — seems certain to become the first Blue to win it (he is an unbackable $1.01 favourite), former Power star Kane Cornes believes Rozee is the better player and the teenager he would take first overall in a draft rewind.
“I don’t think it was a mistake from Carlton to pick Walsh number one,” Cornes said.
“He’s going to be a 250-gamer, 300-game player, he’s going to have a great career, it’s a safe pick.
“But hindsight is a wonderful thing. The better player out of these two is clearly going to be Connor Rozee.
“I have made the odd big call in my time but I think Rozee is the next Nathan Fyfe.
“He has matchwinning attributes to win games off his own boot.’’
Rozee will eventually evolve into a classy midfielder, probably as early as next season as Port tries to add some more class and breakaway speed to its one-paced on-ball brigade.
Brogan says he “doesn’t see Connor having a lot of weaknesses moving forward’’.
“He’s obviously got to get a bit stronger, but that will come naturally after a couple of pre-seasons,’’ Brogan said of the 185cm, 77kg framed Rozee.
“If anyone sits and watches his highlights tape this year, he not only kicks goals but applies defensive pressure and has the ability to share the ball and bring other people into the game.
“Above all that, he’s just a sensational kid from Monday to Friday, very respectful.
“Obviously, I’m biased, so I think Connor should win the Rising Star.
“Walsh is going to be a fantastic player but obviously I’d love to see Connor win it.
“Having said that, I don’t think Connor is too fussed.
“I think he’s going to have a few more accolades throughout his career and right now is in a space where he's got an opportunity hopefully to play finals.
“If you get that early on in your career, I think that’s more important than winning a Rising Star, but we’ll see what happens.’’
Rozee earned his Rising Star nomination in round three when he kicked five goals from 21 disposals against Brisbane at the Gabba in the Power’s 17-point loss.
“Connor had an unbelievable game. You don’t see too many games like that from a first-year player,’’ Port coach Ken Hinkley said at the time.
“He nearly single-handedly won us the game. I don’t think I’ll ever see a better game from a first-year player.”
Lions coach Chris Fagan also was impressed.
“It was exciting to watch him play, he’s a great recruit,” he said.
“He didn’t kick all of his goals on one of our defenders, he kicked them on various. He just attacked the ball so well and finished off well.
“Credit to him, Port has got a beauty there.’’
Power midfielder Tom Rockliff, a former Brisbane captain, said Rozee was the best first-year player he had seen.
“Just because of his ability to be a matchwinner, I’ve never seen anything like it from a 19-year-old kid, that pure matchwinning factor,’’ he said.
“He’ll end up playing in the midfield and will be a superstar of the competition, someone everyone is talking about.’’
Port midfield coach Jarrad Schofield, who wants Rozee as a key part of his on-ball group next year, has been so impressed by Rozee — on and off the field — that he predicted he would be “a future leader of the footy club’’.
“He’s a super young man,’’ he said.
“Without putting too much pressure on the club and the player, you can see him as a future leader of the footy club.
“It’s only his first year and he’s our leading goalkicker, he’s composed, and we shouldn’t be relying on a 19-year-old fella to be doing all that.
“He’s a super talent.’’
Power defensive coach Brett Montgomery said what separates Rozee from most players is his “clean’’ hands.
“We know his obvious talents but one thing he’s done that he hasn’t had a lot of credit for is that he’s been super clean when it’s been either wet or dewy, he’s looked at another level in that part of the game,’’ he said.
Brownlow Medallist and triple Brisbane premiership captain Michael Voss, who is Hinkley’s right-hand man at Alberton in his role as senior assistant coach, said Rozee — and last year’s fellow first-round draft picks Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma — had “such a genuine appetite’’ for football that they reminded him of his flag teammates Simon Black and Luke Power when they arrived at the Lions in 1997.
“I think back to those particular guys and they were the first to get there (at training) and had such enthusiasm for the game that you couldn't get them off the ground at the end,’’ Voss said.
“They were always hitting up the older guys around having one-on-ones and kicking left and right foot.
“At the end of training they’d still be wanting to kick the ball, having shots at goal, left and right foot, which is one of the reasons they were so good.
“It’s the same with our three young guys, who are going to be fantastic players.’’
Rozee, who is second favourite for the Rising Star behind Walsh and has made no secret of his desire to become an ace midfielder, said he was not concerned about winning the AFL's best first-year player award.
The Power has had two previous winners — Michael Wilson in 1997 and Danyle Pearce in 2006.
“I couldn’t really care less, to be honest,’’ Rozee said.
“I’d rather play finals footy than win an individual award.
“It’s been good to have an impact in my first season but I just want to continue to get better and help Port be successful.’’
GOAL POWER
Port’s leading goalkickers
Connor Rozee 27
Robbie Gray 24
Sam Gray 20
Paddy Ryder 15
Brad Ebert 13
RACE FOR THE RISING STAR
AFL Rising Star odds before round 23
Sam Walsh (Carl) $1.01
Connor Rozee (Port) $21
Sydney Stack (Rich) $26
Bailey Smith (WB) $51
Gryan Miers (Geel) $51
Nick Blakey (Syd) $51