Mothers of Port Adelaide stars Connor Rozee and Lachie Jones talk about their AFL journeys
They grew up playing footy in the bush. Today, the mothers of Port Adelaide stars Connor Rozee and Lachie Jones detail their remarkable journeys to the AFL.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It will be a far cry from the country grounds they once parked their cars around to watch their young sons kick the dew off the grass and chase around an undersized football.
But at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, the combination of pride and anxiety will be the same as always for Sue Rozee and Vicki Jones - the mothers of Port Adelaide stars Connor Rozee and Lachie Jones.
A decade or so ago, Vicki would spend her Saturday mornings watching Lachie run around on various ovals on the Yorke Peninsula playing for combined junior side Bute-Paskeville.
A bit further north, Sue was watching Connor continue the family tradition and don the red and white guernsey of South Augusta, where his father Rob was a 200-game premiership hero.
Connor and Lachie were both standout players as juniors and dreamt of one-day competing at AFL level. These dreams are now fulfilled, and mums Sue and Vicki remain constants on the sidelines.
Vicki and Sue will be part of a heaving Adelaide Oval crowd urging on Connor, Lachie and their Port Adelaide teammates in an AFL sudden-death semi-final against Greater Western Sydney.
They’ll probably catch up at a parents’ pre-game function at a city hotel before crossing the bridge and cheering on their sons as they fight for a spot in next weekend’s preliminary final against Collingwood at the MCG.
The boys have realised their dreams of making it in the AFL and this weekend’s blockbuster clash will be another proud moment for Sue and Vicki, who both credit their sons’ country SA upbringing with a level of maturity and composure they reckon holds them in good stead during the pressure-cooker of AFL finals.
Vicki will make the 90-minute drive to Adelaide from the family home on a farm just north of Bute for the game. She’ll be making the trip solo. Lachie’s father Ben is currently in WA, where he is a fly-in, fly out quad-tip truck driver at a mine.
Vicki works at YP Work and Safety Wear in Kadina and is also a regular commuter to Adelaide where she has watched Lachie, now 21 and the middle of their three children, blossom to become one of Port Adelaide’s most reliable defenders.
Lachie grew up as a Port supporter, despite Vicki barracking for Essendon and Ben for the Crows, and after shining for Paske-Bute and then Bute (where he played one A Grade game with elder brother Nathan). He moved to Adelaide to play football for the Eagles in the SANFL after finishing year 12 in Kadina.
He was also a member of Port Adelaide’s Next Generation Academy squad and the Power drafted him at number 16 in the 2020 AFL draft.
He debuted in a Friday night game on his 19th birthday the following year against Richmond and became an instant cult figure with a moustache and mullet that had many fans suggesting he was the oldest-looking 19-year-old debutant on record.
“It (his debut) was amazing,” Vicki recalls. “Ben and I were just sitting there watching, just in awe of what’s going on, and all of a sudden the crowd just went crazy.
“Ben and I just looked at each other and someone said ‘Lachie’s just come out’. It was just an amazing moment. The crowd was going crazy because there had been so much hype about him before. It blew our minds. I can’t even explain it. It was just the absolute best – if I could relive it time and time again, I would.”
Lachie’s first three years of AFL have been interrupted by injury and he goes into this weekend’s final with 34 games under his belt. He missed three weeks after suffering a fractured jaw against Western Bulldogs earlier this year and then infamously clashed heads with teammate Aliir Aliir during Showdown loss against the Crows in Round 20.
“I was there that night (of the Aliir head clash) and it was horrifying,“ Vicki says. “It looked terrible from where we were sitting and then Lachie got up and I thought ‘OK, he’s all right’.”
But Lachie was subbed out of the game with a migraine and the AFL later ruled both he and Aliir miss the next week through concussion protocol.
“When I came home and I saw it on the telly, it looked worse and so for the next couple of days I’m ringing Lachie every couple of days,” Vicki says.
Worrying about injuries is one of the hardest parts of being a football mum, but Vicki hopes Lachie’s stop-start beginning to his career is just part of his body becoming accustomed to the rigours of the AFL.
“Every time he goes down it’s like ‘oh no, please get up, please get up’,” she says. “I hate to see him just lying flat out on the ground – I like it when he gets up and gets going. It’s always a hold-your-breath moment.”
His commitments with Port mean Lachie doesn’t get back to Bute very often, but when he does, his mum says he’s comfortable mingling and kicking the footy with the adoring juniors who now hold him up as a role model.
“It’s good for him to come home and be grounded,” Vicki says. “This is where it started – whether you go to the Eagles or go to Port or whatever, it started here in a little country town in South Australia.
“Lachie’s a really caring person, he’s just an all-round good guy, he’s humble, he’s thoughtful … to have achieved what he has achieved … I’m really proud of all of my kids (elder son Nathan, 23, has moved to WA while daughter Matilda, 20, lives and works in Kadina), they have done really well, but yeah, I’m proud of Lachie.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Sue Rozee, whose son Connor, 23, has been touted as a future Port Adelaide captain, possibly as early as next year.
The Rozees moved to Adelaide’s northeastern suburbs from their home in Stirling North, just out of Port Augusta, when Connor finished primary school to give him a better chance with his sporting endeavours and allow his elder sister Paige, now 26, to pursue her dream and become a teacher.
Connor was also a talented cricketer, and played under-13 state cricket with good mate Jack Lukosius, who was drafted into the AFL the same night as Connor and is now a star with Gold Coast Suns.
Connor, who grew up a St Kilda supporter like his father Rob, attended Cedar College and played football for three years for Broadview, where Rob coached, before switching to North Adelaide.
He starred for the Roosters in the 2018 SANFL grand final and was picked up by Port Adelaide at Number 5 in the draft a month or so later, to the joy of his parents who were delighted he would be staying in South Australia.
He debuted at the MCG against Melbourne in Round 1 the following year but it was at his first home game at Adelaide Oval when the significance of what Connor had achieved truly dawned on his mother.
“I‘d never been to a Port game before,” Sue says. “I’m sitting in the crowd and this music starts (Not Giving In by the Rudimentals). And as the players start running onto the ground it builds to this crescendo, and obviously Connor’s always at the front (when they run through the banner).
“The hairs on the back of my neck stood up – just the music and watching him, and my eyes welled up with tears.
“They do a really good job of that pre-game entry – and then we stand up and do the Never Tear Us Apart. I still get chills every home game.”
Sue, who is no longer together with Connor’s father Rob, catches up with her son regularly and says they rarely talk about football.
But she says his no-nonsense, country upbringing has held him in good stead when it comes to dealing with the pressure of finals football.
“He grew up playing out of his age group, and always with an expectation that he needed to play well for his team to win,” she says.
“So he’s kind of always had that pressure on his shoulders from a young age. He doesn’t seem to fall apart under pressure – in fact, he loves a noisy crowd. The louder the crowd, the more he feeds off it.”
In fact, Sue has a simple message for the Port Adelaide fans at Adelaide Oval tonight.
“Be loud and proud and be the 19th player,” she says. “Not all the players like the noise, but I know Connor feeds off it. So be loud, and get the boys over the line.”
X marks the spot: Brave fan’s big part in must-win clash
By Carl Pfeiffer
When Port Adelaide wingman Xavier Duursma runs out onto Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, he will be greeted by a brave little boy who he shares a special bond with.
Five-year-old namesake Xavier Pudovkin, who is battling a rare form of cancer, will form part of the guard of honour that will greet the players before they do battle in their must-win semi-final against Greater Western Sydney.
Young Xavier was diagnosed with stage four high-risk Neuroblastoma at the end of March 2021, when he was just three-years-old.
After months of treatment, the St Agnes boy was declared cancer free at the end of 2022, only to relapse again in March this year.
From there a special bond with Duursma began to flourish, with the Port star paying his namesake a visit in May.
“I connected with Xavier and his family after I saw his story in the Advertiser back in May,” Duursma said.
“The way he continues to fight is inspirational and he’s taught me a lot about resilience in the short time I’ve known him.
“I’m stoked that he’ll be here on Saturday night to watch the team and be in the guard of honour during the run out.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to get the win for him and our fans and move deeper into September”.
According to his mum Danielle Pudovkin, the connection between the pair was instantaneous.
“He (Duursma) was really drawn to Xav – apart from sharing the same name they actually share the same birth month,” she said.
“It was so heartwarming, he is such a down to earth guy. You could tell that he wanted to be there and connect with my son.
“He really is a kind-hearted person that genuinely cares.”
During his short life Xavier he has endured nine rounds of chemo and major surgery.
Despite this, Ms Pudovkin said her brave son was remaining positive as the family continues to search for a cure.
“He’s got everyone wrapped around his finger. The energy he’s got is phenomenal, he’s got so much love to give,” she said.
“There not many treatment options for Neuroblastoma in Australia and long term survival is less than 20 per cent.
“So we’ve been fundraising and looking for treatment options overseas, because there is a lot more availability out there.”
Ms Pudovkin said this week was filled with nerves, with her son’s scans due in the coming days coinciding with the build up to Port’s must-win semi-final.
“Our whole family absolutely loves Port,” she said.
“It would be absolutely amazing to get the win, I’m really hoping it happens and Xav’s scans come back clear and it will be wins all around.
“If they do make it to the grand final I hope we can get Xavier there – that would be really special.”
The Pudovkin family have raised $330,000 to go towards Xavier’s treatment since April, with the goal of hitting $500,000.
To donate click here.
Alberton Primary School Powers up
By Shashi Baltutis
Students at a western suburbs primary school, with a view of Port Adelaide Football Club headquarters, have been donning teal, black and white on Fridays since the finals started – and even their Crows-supporting principal has joined in.
Port Adelaide-mad Alberton Primary School students have been getting behind their local football club by wearing their colours each week, and principal Dan Jarrad – a Crows fan – has even gotten behind the team ahead of Saturday’s semi-final.
“Anyone who knows me, they’ll give me a bit of stick,” Mr Jarrad said of wearing a Port scarf to school.
“I love having a bit of banter with the kids.”
And Mr Jarrad said he had received a fair bit of friendly teasing since he took the job “in the heart of Alberton” at a school that is so close to Port headquarters “you can see the oval lights”.
“Coming here in the heart of Alberton … as a Crows supporter, you imagine the conversations,” Mr Jarrad said. “I’ve got preschool kids who are right on to it too.”
But Mr Jarrad said he’s supporting Port as “the only Adelaide team left” in the finals.
And the students are eager to wear their best guernsey to school.
“It doesn’t take much to get the kids into the spirit of things,” Mr Jarrad said.
“We’ve got families who head out to weekly trainings and some kids have a lot of supporter gear signed.
“I hear weekly updates on which Port player signed whose jumper.”
And Mr Jarrad is hoping the atmosphere remains positive after the weekend. “I hope Port wins or it will be grumpy Monday,” he said.
Mr Jarrad, along with his students, will be following the team eagerly – a journey which they hope will end in silverware.
More Coverage
Originally published as Mothers of Port Adelaide stars Connor Rozee and Lachie Jones talk about their AFL journeys
Woman and teen boy stabbed in terrifying home invasion
Two people have been stabbed and a third person has also been hurt in what police believe was a targeted attack early on Wednesday morning.
Heartbroken family speaks after young dad’s motorcycle death
The 22-year-old died over the weekend at the scene of a crash on a major Adelaide road.
Sweet new Insta-worthy craze bowls over Adelaide food scene
But the big question on every newbie’s minds as the new shops spring up across Adelaide is, “can they possibly taste as good as they look?”
Surprise twist in station-switching TV stars’ secret split
The Adelaide media power couple have both been linked to other industry identities after quietly parting ways.
Mum’s horror as son’s friend makes nightmare discovery
The Adelaide mother has paid tribute to her son after receiving news no parent can imagine.
Pub hero out of coma after Port Elliot hit-run horror
The 22-year-old amateur bowler suffered the worst injuries of the five people rammed by a car in a horrific incident captured on video last weekend.