Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley admits he blundered and set Connor Rozee up to fail by disastrously gambling on the Power captain’s dicey hamstring, which didn’t last the distance in Thursday’s 30-point Showdown defeat to Adelaide.
Rozee sat out the last quarter of Port’s round seven win over St Kilda after hurting his hamstring before surprisingly being passed fit to lead his side against the Crows six days later.
Port Adelaide Power coach Ken Hinkley watches from the bench during his side’s match against the Adelaide Crows.Credit: Getty Images
But Hinkley’s punt backfired massively as Rozee spent a large portion of the third term against Adelaide on the bench having the same hamstring treated before being substituted out at three-quarter-time.
Hinkley pulled no punches when it came to the subsequent blame game, raising his hand high in the air.
“I made a mistake in playing Connor Rozee tonight,” he conceded.
“That was clear, it was obvious. I can try to hide behind it, but I’m not a coward when it comes to owning a mistake – and that’s what it was.
“I set Connor up to fail as a player by the way he had to perform out there. My call.”
Hinkley first realised Rozee was in strife just after half-time when he noticed Port’s normally slick, speedy skipper was unable to accelerate.
Rozee had six disposals in the third term. All of them, uncharacteristically, were handballs.
“He couldn’t get to top speed and he was reluctant to kick,” Hinkley said. “He thought he was absolutely right to play.
“He was flat out two days in a row, no problems at all, kicking the ball 60m and having shots at goal ... I saw all the things you needed to see, (but) I should have had better history – I should have known that was going to happen.
Connor Rozee is tackled by Jordan Dawson of the Crows.Credit: Getty Images
“It (injury) is no worse (than after the Saints game) but (it’s) the same issue, which suggests to me that if he did have the week off he’d be better the next week.
“I apologise to our supporters for the decision that was made … The decision was made collectively but I’m in charge.”
Hinkley was more bullish around the prospects of forwards Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiades, who both trudged off Adelaide Oval late in the match.
Marshall hobbled off favouring his left ankle following a heavy landing, while Georgiades came off to have ice applied to his right knee.
Georgiades ruptured his right anterior cruciate ligament playing in the SANFL just over a year ago and is five games into his comeback from knee reconstruction surgery, but Hinkley isn’t fearing the worst yet.
“One (Marshall) was a small rolled ankle. I think that will be fine,” he said. “Mitch’s knee looks like just a knock but it blew up quite quickly.
“Nothing sinister, but who knows?”
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