Despite an uncertain short-term future, Power onballer Tom Rockliff says the team has set itself up for later in the year
The immediate future is uncertain, but Port Adelaide midfielder Tom Rockliff believes the Power have set themselves up for a really good season should the mid-year resumption of play occur.
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The short-term future might be uncertain, but Port Adelaide’s Tom Rockliff is clear on what his side can do moving forward.
After Saturday’s opening-round victory over Gold Coast, and in light of the AFL’s shutdown, the ball-winning midfielder is confident the Power will be ready to pick up where they left off if the mid-year restart goes ahead.
“We don’t know what the short term holds, but we feel like we’ve set ourselves up for a really good season,” Rockliff told The Lowdown Podcast.
Rockliff, who had a game-high 26 disposals, praised the ability of the Power’s dynamic attack to keep the ball in their forward-half as well as the Tom Jonas-led defence, which set up behind the ball to help restrict the Suns to just four goals.
“We feel like we’ve got a really good team-balance,” the 30-year-old said.
“Once we started to wrestle momentum, particular in the centre square, we felt like we controlled the game after the first five minutes.
“We did pretty much everything we wanted to and everything we trained for over summer.”
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Power coach Ken Hinkley was equally as strong in his belief of what his side had worked on in the off-season.
“I was really confident about what we did in the pre-season and the group has a lot of belief about them,” Hinkley said post-match.
And, while any momentum has been halted, there will be plenty of time to hone things further with a mini pre-season likely ahead of any proposed restart.
The break should also ensure key big man Charlie Dixon returns to Port Adelaide’s forward-line mix.
But Rockliff is excited about what he saw ahead of him on Saturday night, particularly from high-leaping debutant Mitch Georgiades.
“For a kid who hasn’t played footy for 18 months, I think it’s an outstanding effort to come in and player AFL senior footy,” Rockliff said of the No. 18 pick, who sat out his draft year with a quad injury.
“Through the pre-season, he played in a couple of those games and he just came on and played the way we knew he could.
“He jumps at the footy, he attacks it and his follow-up work and ability to get up-and-down the ground was really good.”
The build-up to Round 1 was very different this year, as was the empty Metricon Stadium which greeted the Power on the Gold Coast and the shortened quarters.
But it was Port Adelaide’s ability to handle the situation which Rockliff believes provided the foundation for the 49-point win.
“Across the weekend of footy, the team that adapted quickly to the circumstances and started well was, generally, the team that went on and won the game,” he noted.
“We knew the start was going to be really important for us.
“And after the first five minutes, we felt like we played the game on our terms.
“I like the 20 minutes plus time-on, I think it goes a bit longer and you can stay engaged.
“In close contests, you never really know where the finish line is.
“I prefer 20 minutes, but I can understand if they (the AFL) keep it at 16 minutes moving forward.”
With so many unknowns, an ability to adapt quickly will be vital later in the year.
But, now, for Rockliff and his teammates it’s about doing their part to help get there first.
“It’s particularly important as AFL players that we (set an example) and self-isolate, and at the end of the day it falls on the individual and I think our playing group understands that,” he said.
“In the short term no doubt there’s going to be people who face mental health battles, (however) it’s important we distance ourselves but also check in on people around us and make sure they’re okay.”
Originally published as Despite an uncertain short-term future, Power onballer Tom Rockliff says the team has set itself up for later in the year