This article originally appeared on afl.com.au

BY THE time Connor Rozee was crowned Port Adelaide's best and fairest winner for last season, the dynamic Power star had already completely shifted his focus onto 2023. He had enjoyed an off-season break, he had travelled to America for a strength and conditioning camp with teammates and had returned to Alberton Oval to join Port training. His mindset was clear: last year was only a taste of things to come.

Rozee's rise saw him claim a place in the All-Australian team and then, with Port Adelaide's best and fairest night shifted to December, etch himself into the club's history books by being named the John Cahill medallist. It all happened as a 22-year-old in his fourth AFL season, and his first real campaign as a midfielder. This year, he is chasing more.

"I want to do it again," Rozee told AFL.com.au. "It's not 'I want to be an All-Australian at the end of the year' but it's that I know how I feel with my performances if I played well and the coaches know that as well. 

"I also think I'm getting to a point in my career where I can step up with my leadership a bit more and I think [last year] also helps with having trust from my teammates that I can be consistent each week. It's nice to develop into a different sort of player now and not have to focus so much on touches and how people are going to judge you from the outside as much."

Rozee has already felt the many effects of the achievements. 

"Seeing my parents so proud [was great] and always knowing that I'll always have that, even if something went wrong and I wasn't able to play football again I've done that now. Also for people who like to sit on the outside and judge what we do inside, it's nice to have a bit of money in the bank," he said. 

"It also gives me confidence going into the season that I've got things in the past that I've done and I know that if I do them again then those things will pay off. 

"It's not tweaking things massively, it's just those little things I need to get better at to make those extra few steps." 

Rozee is set to be a key figure in one of the most exciting midfields in the competition this year, with Ollie Wines, Zak Butters and the addition of Jason Horne-Francis making for a robust and skilful onball group.

His shift into a permanent midfield position came after a quiet start to last year, on the back of an injury-hit 2021 season that saw him battle foot issues. 

But a brilliant second half against Carlton in round five led to a run of form, with Rozee feeling at home creating, setting up, sidestepping and using his smarts to win the ball, deliver it and make things happen. He finished the season in fifth place in the AFL coaches' votes after playing every game and averaging 23 disposals and nearly a goal. 

"It was a bit weird because the year before I wouldn't say was a great year for me and I wanted to really step up. And then the first few games were quite disappointing and frustrating. I got COVID just before round one and came out of iso the day before the round one game and couldn't get near it," he said.

"I was struggling to hit any form. Playing half-forward is a tough role so I was coming in and out of games and struggling to have an impact. 

"We weren't playing great footy so Kenny (coach Ken Hinkley) decided to switch things up a bit and after moving in to the midfield and finding a bit of confidence, to just play more naturally and not overthink things as much, the season took care of itself after that."

Rozee has been a standout on the track over summer at Alberton, displaying the confidence taken from last season as he looks to build his running and also his body size to better match some of the biggest and best midfielders in the game. Rozee wears a big smile but has a quiet, hard edge as well as he pushes for success. 

"I'm never going to be like an Ollie Wines, 95 kilos big inside mid. But if I can get a little bit in between and still have those strengths with my speed and agility and be able to battle inside a bit more and run with them with my fitness a bit improved then I'll be able to last out games even better," he said. 

So, too, will the Power, with Rozee excited by the club's attacking brand over pre-season as Port looks to jump back into the finals after last year's drop following back-to-back preliminary final berths. 

"We almost needed that season where it gives us the reason to come back and drive to be up the top again. There was a bit of burnout after those two years but everyone has come back really fit," he said. 

There's another development that has marked Rozee's jump into the competition's elite: he has become a player draft hopefuls model their game on, itself a tick of approval from the masses. Last year North Melbourne's No.3 pick Harry Sheezel was one of many top prospects to cite Rozee's style as an influence, which caught the Power youngster's eye.

"I watched the draft and Harry was the one I saw actually. It's quite strange because I still feel like a young player and I almost am picking players to model my game on like the young players coming through are. It doesn't feel like I'm going into my fifth year at all," he said.

"I think I'm in that in-between time of my career where I've probably just matured out of being one of the young players but also I'm not quite part of the older core group yet. I feel like it's gone so quickly. Things like people modelling their game off you is pretty cool to see."