PORT ADELAIDE forward Connor Rozee has admitted his side’s preliminary final loss to Richmond still burns, and will drive the side in its want to win a premiership in 2021.
Rozee was among a group of 19 players, primarily in their first to fourth year of AFL football, to return to Alberton for pre-season training on Monday, just under two months since the club missed out on a Grand Final berth by one straight kick.
The 20-year-old is embarking on his third pre-season and, after a few weeks of rest, he was pleased to have a cooler and wetter start to training than the usual sweltering summer conditions.
“We’ve had a bit less of a break this year but it’s good to see all the boys that we haven’t seen for a month or so now and get back on the track a bit earlier,” Rozee said during a press conference before training on Monday.
“And we’ve got a nice day for it as well, so I’m excited.”
Rozee played 16 of Port’s 19 games last season, missing three with a foot injury that troubled him throughout the year.
But he says he’s feeling 100% now and with some new insoles in his boots and tape on his heel, he expects to be good to go in 2021.
“I had a partially torn plantar fascia so it’s just a muscle in the bottom of your foot that unfortunately there’s not much treatment for other than to rest it so that’s why I had to have those couple of weeks off,” he explained.
“It got to a point where it was pretty sore, I won’t lie.
“There were a few weeks where I was pushing through some pain and I had to take a couple of weeks off.
“It probably did affect me for a few months there but after that little break, I came back and it was feeling a bit better and I think that last game of the finals showed I was just getting back to where I wanted.”
Rozee was at his electric best with 14 disposals and two goals in that preliminary final against the Tigers playing primarily as a forward.
He also showed early in the season, prior to his foot injury, that he could be damaging in the midfield.
His Round 2 game against the Crows was a highlight with 17 touches and a goal as well as a career high eight clearances and six tackles.
The Port Augusta product still harbours an ambition to spend more time on ball, following the example of fellow forward Robbie Gray who splits his time in both positions.
And he hopes the arrival of Orazio Fantasia from Essendon will allow him and Zak Butters more freedom to move into the middle.
“We’ll both be fighting for those midfield minutes. We’ll both want to get in there but it’s a matter for the coaching group to decide,” Rozee said.
“I’ve had small discussions here and there about what (Fantasia’s arrival) is going to do to my role and it might let me go into the midfield a little bit more, which will be enjoyable.
“It’ll probably free up a few of the other boys who play a lot forward as well just to mix our roles up a little bit more so he’ll definitely be helpful for a lot of us.
“Robbie’s got a really cool role. He gets to go in the midfield and pinch hit down forward as well so I guess something like that, 50-50 – I don’t know what number to put on it – but hopefully something that combines the two roles, that’d be good.”
Fantasia was among the group back at training on Monday to start the two-week block before Christmas along with more experienced players Charlie Dixon and Sam Mayes, who were not required to be there but chose to drop in early.
Injury aside, Rozee was not satisfied with 2020 and has been thinking about what might have been during his break.
He said the club would be chasing greatness next season with a premiership front of mind.
“We are really proud of where we got to but it’s obviously not where we want to get to eventually,” Rozee explained.
“There’s still that burning passion to go deeper in finals and hopefully take that next step into a Grand Final.
“I’ve always wanted to win a premiership since being a young kid so that burning passion is still there and all the young boys can attest to that.
“Next season we’ll go out with just as much fire as we did last year, we’ll be ready to go.”
