PORT ADELAIDE assistant coach Nathan Bassett was very impressed with the performances of two third-gamers despite his side’s 17-point loss to Brisbane.
Rozee powers with stunning 5-goal outing - PTV
Bassett complimented the cleanliness of the two first-year players and described their inclusion in the side as “exciting” for the club.
“He was super - he was so clean,” Bassett told SEN’s SA Breakfast, regarding Rozee.
“The first half I thought that both him and Butters were exceptional.
“It’s pretty exciting to have two guys both playing their third game and they were probably our two best players at half time.
“Connor was super clean. I thought he showed very good defensive urgency and he is learning the work-rate that it takes to play AFL footy and he’s learning it really quickly.”
Bassett, who transitioned to Port’s forward coach in the off-season, says his side did most things right in the clash with the Lions but wasn’t able to execute late in the game.
“This was probably a game where we played the right way for more of the game,” he said.
“We didn’t always execute well but we did try to play the right way.
“After the first 10 minutes of the game and probably until the last 10 minutes of the game we had pretty good control.
“We didn’t score as well as we probably should have and let a couple through that we probably didn’t need to and in the end that hurt us.
“I thought our execution and composure was not where it has been the first couple of games.
“Particularly in that patch of the game where Brisbane hit the front, we had five or six opportunities to really control the ball and move the ball up the ground.”
The 42-year-old says the team still has plenty to work on after transitioning the list over the past two seasons.
“We are still building our game-style and who plays what role,” he said.
“We still have some work to do on where we balance people each week.
“There are certainly some positives and we will look for opportunities to get better.
“We have to keep reinforcing the good stuff.”
The Power will look to bounce back against Richmond when the two sides clash at Adelaide Oval late on Saturday afternoon in Round 4.
