YARTAPUULTI assistant coach Chad Cornes has revealed he was confident his side was going to beat Geelong on Friday night because of the feeling in the group.

The Power went into the game without a win against the Cats in Geelong for 17 years and off the back of a disappointing showing against crosstown rivals Adelaide.

Cornes said the side had learned a lot from the Showdown loss but came away from the review united and full of energy for the challenging trip.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Cornes also discussed whether the club will consider more night training sessions at Alberton, the changes to the way the side approached goal kicking practice and whether captain Connor Rozee will be fit to return from injury against Hawthorn on Sunday.

Chad Cornes on what the side learnt from the Showdown loss to take into the trip to Geelong:

“The Showdown was a terrible result, obviously, but we learned a lot from it. As coaches we learnt what we should be focusing more on during the week, what the players respond to more, and the players themselves responded really well and took some ownership from that game and what they need to bring every week, which is which is obvious when you say it like that. But from that review from the Showdown, there was a really good feeling around the club and a feeling that there's a few games in your life where you know you're going to win, and I knew we were going to win. That might seem a bit arrogant considering the opposition we were coming up against and where we were playing but there was a different feeling last week and the way the boys played was outstanding.

“The way we need to move the ball to bring out our weapons and our strengths. we know that but it was good to refresh on that early last week and that was a real focus of the week – our ball movement, and what we need to do when we're at our best. And I thought we showed that in the Geelong game. So obviously, you've got the defence and the contest but for me being in charge of offence, it was great to review that early last week and have a real focus on it throughout the week, and then execute it.”

Chad Cornes on the energy in the group last week:

“The night session we had here, I think it was Tuesday night, was brilliant. I think being a night just added a bit of something to the training, and it was an open session so we had some supporters here. But the way we moved the ball in that session was what gave the coaches and the players real positivity going into those last few days in the lead up to the game.

“I’m not sure what the actual (rules are) or how easy that is to implement. There's rules about how many times you can use the lights and that kind of stuff but it was something that coaches reflected on a couple of days ago now just how well that worked. We got some feedback from the players saying they really enjoyed it too. And I'm sure it's something supporters like every now and then as well so where we can, I think it'd be great if we can have more.”

Chad Cornes on what the group changed in its goal kicking training last week:

“We switched it up a little bit last week. The emphasis has been there from the start of pre-season. We actually scaled it back a little bit last week, and the players had less shots but the shots they had carried more weight in training - so they might have only had, you know, five to 10 shots in the actual training session pre training, but then in training, we added some shots after drills where there was pressure on and the whole team was getting around those couple of guys having shots, which was good. I think it gives it that more in-game feeling, a little bit more pressure on the players. So that's something we'll continue to do as well.”

Chad Cornes on how he has felt around the side’s goal kicking:

“I was feeling pretty average last week but that's just footy. You've got to trust the work we've done. And I do trust the work we've done, how we're teaching, and it's not just goal kicking - the offence has had its ups and downs throughout the year. You always try to make sure you're teaching the players the right way. And you're giving them everything you can to ensure they succeed. And we feel like as coaches, we prepare them really well. We've got a great program and we're teaching the way things need to be taught.”

Chad Cornes on whether captain Connor Rozee will play this week:

“Well, he's ticked every box so far. We obviously don't pick the team properly until Friday given it’s a longer week, but right now he's ticked the boxes he needs to but yeah, that decision won't be made until Friday.

“There were a couple guys that didn't do the full training today but really confident that they will play through a variety of reasons. I think there was Mitch (Georgiades), there was Jase

(Burgoyne), and there was (Travis) Boaky who didn't complete the whole training. But we think that they will be fine come Friday's main training session.”

Chad Cornes on Jed McEntee’s shutdown role on Tom Stewart:

“He's another one that cops it a little bit from outside, not that I read it anymore but it filters back. He is just the ultimate, you love coaching him and the players love playing with him. Supporters will often look at output and stats and that obviously comes into it as well but he had the role on Stewart twice last year and was outstanding in both games. He's done roles like that last year and to see him back to his best one a really, really good player, Stewart is one of the best, so Jed did it really well, and he had some good help from his teammates.”

Chad Cornes on the return of Ollie Lord from injury last week in the SANFL:

“What we learned last year from our forward line and our talls in particular, they look like they hit a real wall towards the end of the year. So I think having Lordy available, Jeremy (Finlayson), Mitch (Georgiades), Todd (Marshall) and Charlie (Dixon) all fit, we might be able to rest some of those guys or manage their game time as the season progresses, so that we're all fit and firing at the right time of the year if we if we give ourselves a chance to be there. Lordy showed some really good signs in the first quarter. The game got tough from there on. He didn't see a lot of it through the way that the game played out but he's come back really well. I think we all love the way he played last year and what he added to this group.”