Tom Rockliff reveals how using recovery centre helped Port Adelaide prosper in Queensland hub
One game clear atop the AFL ladder after a gruelling start, Port Adelaide is primed for a finals tilt. Midfielder Tom Rockliff says one element of the club’s time in Queensland has been crucial to its success.
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Port Adelaide is tapping into a revolutionary recovery centre on the Gold Coast to help it through a gruelling travel and competition schedule as it maintains top spot on the AFL ladder.
The Power used Rigs Recovery at Bundall, just near Surfers Paradise, during their two-week stint in the Queensland quarantine hub and were back there on Sunday night before flying home to Adelaide after beating GWS by 17 points.
The visit to Rigs Recovery on Sunday was part of a brutal schedule for the Power with players awake at 4.30am for a 5.30am bus to the airport, and returning home with the four points around 10pm.
It looked as though fatigue was catching up with them in the third quarter before they found an extra gear in the last to out-run the Giants who they had not beaten since 2015.
Port Adelaide’s fitness and conditioning has been a feature of their season so far with veterans Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff and Brad Ebert all starring at times and Charlie Dixon finally enjoying an injury free run.
The recovery centre offers compression treatment, cryotherapy, hydro pools and an infra red sauna — and is also believed to have been used by the Gold Coast Suns.
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“They (Rigs) looked after us while we stayed up on the Gold Coast,” midfielder Tom Rockliff told The Lowdown Podcast.
“A recovery centre with pretty much everything you need – a sauna, float tanks, all the compression stuff, four magnesium baths, hot and cold.
“We had a bit of time because we had to pack up the gear and get it to the plane so we went there and did our recovery and they looked after us.
“It’s a very, very impressive recovery centre.”
Rockliff was dropped last week after what he admits was a below-par performance against Brisbane but still made the trip to the Gold Coast as an emergency for the GWS game.
“I had an inkling it was going to fall that way for me last week, one of those things where I’d prefer to be out there but I wasn’t quite getting it done over the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“It was a disappointing game against Brisbane and with a couple of ins it was going to be tough to stay in the team.
“No doubt there’s a lot of pressure on for selection and you’ve got to perform your role and I wasn’t able to do that.
“You’ve just got to suck it up and train hard at the moment and when the opportunity arises to make sure I perform my job for the team.”
Scans on his dislocated finger last week showed his recovery was on track but he hasn’t ruled out minor surgery at the end of the year to make sure he is not risking long-term damage.
Rockliff missed the first half of Sunday’s game while running laps on a nearby oval but said he wasn’t surprised by the fiery clash which saw Brad Ebert reported and other heated incidents.
“Top of the table type clash it’s going to be a hot contest, and I don’t think there was a heap of excitement but I think you’re referring to the Ebert clash and the even-up on Ebo later in the game,” he said.
“That’s what you want to see – two teams going pretty hard at it and it’s just a matter of who comes off second best.”
WINES DETAILS PLAYERS’ BOND WITH HINKLEY
Port Adelaide vice-captain Ollie Wines says his team loves coach Ken Hinkley like a teammate which was why he was thrust into the middle of the huddle for their team song on Sunday.
Hinkley received AFL life membership after 300 games as a player and now coach on the weekend, and celebrated in style with the Power’s 17-point win over GWS to maintain top spot on the ladder.
But in scenes rarely seen at AFL level, Hinkley was in the middle of the Power’s circle as they sang the song, and was pumping his arms and covered in water and sports drink as they toasted a successful day trip to the Gold Coast.
“It was his 300th game as a coach and player and he got AFL life membership, and he’s part of us just like any player, so it was special to get him in,” Wines said.
“He’s been so important for our group and we have such a good relationship with him, you probably saw the emotion a little bit coming out of him and the players.
“Him and the coaches and all our support staff all ride the punches with us, so to get that win he feels very proud.
“He can’t be out there with us, so to see us grind out a win like that it’s pretty special for him I think.”
Port Adelaide’s football manager Chris Davies addressed the playing group on the plane on Sunday morning and urged them to make Hinkley’s milestone game count.
“To do it in Ken’s life membership game was a pretty special moment, Chris Davies touched on it before the game and he (Hinkley) got a little bit emotional I suppose … Kenny gets up and about and pretty emotional on game day whether we’re winning or losing,” midfielder Tom Rockliff said.
“He (Davies) didn’t dig any (of Hinkley’s Geelong) highlights out but we were on the plane on the morning of and he said ‘it’s a pretty big week for the senior coach, he’s getting life membership after today’s game so make sure it’s a good one – make sure we go up there and do the right thing’.”
Hinkley is in his eighth season as Port Adelaide coach and has the team on top of the ladder after Round 6, with a ninth season of his tenure triggered by a finals appearance this season.
Sunday’s win over the Giants was all the more special given the players were up at 4.30am for a 5.30am bus to the airport and didn’t arrive home until 10pm that night.
“It’s just another challenge we’re faced with and I’m so proud of the group that we continue to defy these little road blocks and show up and play like that,” Wines said.
“It’s a big day but it makes it a lot better when you win.
“The Grand Prix is on tonight so I might watch that and it will be a 20-hour day but it’s our favourite time of the week when we win, particularly this when we’re all on the bus together and going to a recovery centre after a win it makes it so much sweeter.”
Wines missed the start of this season with a shoulder injury then was forced to sit out Round 2 after breaching the AFL’s coronavirus restrictions by doing a TV interview at his home.
But he has been back in the side since Round 3 and on Sunday had 20 disposals and six clearances as he continues to build his form.
“I’m still a little bit off, I don’t think I’ve played my best footy yet,” he said.
“The last two weeks I’ve been sort of quiet with my influence on the game, today I started off really slowly but thought I warmed into it and was able to provide some clearances and drive.
“But like the whole team I wasn’t as polished as we would have liked going inside 50m, and I’m sure we can sharpen that up, it’s a positive that we have opportunities going inside 50 and it takes a bit of cleaning up during the week.”
Hinkley made a big call at selection after last week’s loss to Brisbane by dropping midfielder Tom Rockliff which showed no one is safe if they are not performing.
“We want to be able to make those hard calls, unfortunately we don’t have guys playing in the SANFL so I know these guys understand that they’re grinding away on the track, and they have a practice match teed up against the Crows, it keeps us on our guard and playing the role we need to play,” Wines said.
“Coming off last week which was disappointing for us, we let ourselves down around the clearance and contest, so to turn around and get some clearance dominance was good.
“It was a bit of polish and efficiency going forward that cost us going forward but we ground it out.”
Power and Crows players who don’t make AFL selection for Round 7 are expected to play a scratch match at Alberton Oval next weekend. The game will be closed to both the media and the public.
reece.homfray@news.com.au
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Originally published as Tom Rockliff reveals how using recovery centre helped Port Adelaide prosper in Queensland hub