Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley stated that the club will give captain Connor Rozee until “the very last minute” to prove his fitness for Thursday’s match against Carlton. Rozee, who recently returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out for two weeks, sprained his ankle during the win against North Melbourne. Although he finished the match, he has not participated in training sessions this week.
Despite this, Hinkley has not ruled out Rozee’s availability but emphasized they won’t take any risks with their captain. “We’ll wait and see,” Hinkley told reporters on Tuesday. “Clearly it’s a short turnaround, five days, and we’ll give it to the very last minute to figure out where he’s at, but if there’s any danger we won’t play him.”
“This is not a soft tissue injury, so it’s more manageable. There’s more pain involved than risk of re-injury.
“With a bye week coming up, there’s ample time for recovery, so we’ll be optimistic until the last moment.
“It’s mainly about managing the pain from a sore ankle … they can be painful, but you can still play through it.”
Rozee’s injury is further complicated by the absence of small forward Willie Rioli, who strained his calf over the weekend and will be out for at least two weeks.
Key forward Charlie Dixon is expected to return after being rested against the Kangaroos, while Ivan Soldo might be brought back as the No. 1 ruckman, potentially replacing Jordon Sweet in that role.
“Soldo got through everything we wanted him to last week at SANFL level,” Hinkley said. “So, he’s available for selection. We will choose the ruckman we believe gives us the best chance to compete against Carlton.”
Channel 7 presenter Josh Money noted that Soldo was playing on the preferred side during Port Adelaide’s main training session.
Hinkley also praised defensive recruits Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher for solidifying the two key positions in the backline. The Power are currently third on the AFL ladder with eight wins, and their defensive system has been impressive early in the season. Hinkley’s team ranks seventh for points against (78 per game), largely due to the contributions of the new tall defenders.
Facing a tough challenge on Thursday with Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay as opponents, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley acknowledged that matchups like these are precisely why they acquired Ratugolea and Zerk-Thatcher.
“There’s no doubt about that,” Hinkley said. “When you face the size and talent of those two players, it’s definitely why we sought out players last year to strengthen that area.”
