Tom Rockliff says key to Port Adelaide’s season now is to stay the course and believe in new system

After a disappointing first season former Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff looks like he is back to his best. He explains why and what the Power must do to maintain its fine start to 2019.

Tom Rockliff. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett

• Injury shock for Watts as Port outlasts Carlton
• Rockliff ready to repay Power’s faith

Tom Rockliff believes time and adjustment will be Port Adelaide’s greatest allies as they seek to continue on a perfect opening to the 2019 season.

The former Brisbane captain, one of the game’s premier midfielders, was a treat to watch as the Power staved off Carlton at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

He was hard-nosed in close, had quick hands and was creative once the ball was freed and had an air of composure and leadership every time he was near the ball.

He chalked up a game-high 37 disposals and was among the best on ground.

In many ways Rockliff was a microcosm of the Power: mature, more settled, aware of what’s required and having learnt from the disappointments of last season.

Both he and former Power captain Travis Boak had seasons to forget last year — along with the rest of the team, which fell from an 11-4 start to miss the finals — and both looked like they had turned back time to their prime against the Blues.

Tom Rockliff stood out with 37 disposals in Port Adelaide’s win against Carlton. Picture: David Mariuz/AAP

Carlton is better this year and gave Port Adelaide a scare.

But the way the Power settled after it had surrendered the lead — with a sense of calm and just rolling up their sleeves to get it done — was testament to a long summer of work and recalibration.

Rockliff, who was banged up by injuries in his first season with Port Adelaide, said time and patience had been crucial for the improvement.

This is a club that has been big in bringing in players through the trade with Rockliff, Jack Watts and Steven Motlop coming in from other clubs.

This year a lot of the talk has been about the top draft picks — and they have been impressive, headlined by Connor Rozee against the Blues.

But the key for the rest of the list has been time.

“My body is better,” Rockliff said. “But having played (together) for 12 months has helped us.

“They know the way I play and I know the way they play.

“We complement each other a bit more now.

“We had a disappointing year last year but we’ve put that behind us now.”

The key from here was to continue to believe in the new way Port Adelaide wants to play.

Senior coach Ken Hinkley has made no secret of the fact that they need to score more: averaging a weekly score in the 70s is not going to give them a good chance of winning enough matches to make the finals.

The match against Carlton was a little bit different, because much of the second half was affected by rain and slippery conditions.

But Rockliff the theme had to stay the same, and the players had to be brave enough to stay the course when it came to the changes made over summer.

“We kept going (against Carlton) playing the way we wanted to and continued to run.

“We’ve just got to continue to play our style, an exciting brand, if the conditions permit.”