Hinkley admits fault for the Rozee call; three more people hurt in Showdown defeat

“I can attempt to blend in with it, but I’m not. It doesn’t take a coward to own up to mistakes.

Six days after suffering a minor hamstring injury, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has assumed responsibility for playing captain Connor Rozee. The Power star hurt himself again during Thursday night’s Showdown loss to the Crows.

“I can attempt to blend in with it, but I’m not. It doesn’t take a coward to own up to mistakes.

Six days after suffering a minor hamstring injury, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has assumed responsibility for playing captain Connor Rozee. The Power star hurt himself again during Thursday night’s Showdown loss to the Crows.

After pulling up from a contest halfway through the third term, Rozee was substituted out of the five-goal loss during three-quarter time of the game. The midfield player spent the majority of the remaining minutes before the final break receiving tests on the sidelines.

Rozee was substituted out of the game by The Power, and Hinkley said it was his choice to have the 24-year-old play in the Showdown less than a week after the injury.

Throughout the week, the club had verified that Rozee had completed the necessary exams; but, after his team suffered their third loss of 2024, Hinkley assumed responsibility.

“Tonight, when I played Connor Rozee, I erred. That was evident, that was clear,” Hinkley said.

“Connor was able to play despite all of the tests we had done, the medical help we could receive, and the information I could gather.

But it became obvious tonight when tiredness set in. I’m not hiding behind it, try as I might. I don’t shy away from taking responsibility for my mistakes, and that’s exactly what I did. An error.”

If Port Adelaide had managed to get their captain for Round 8, Rozee probably would have been available for the team’s next Friday match against Geelong.

Though Hinkley stated the injury is not more serious than the one he suffered against St Kilda last week, the two-time All-Australian is now anticipated to miss that game as well as maybe others later on.

“It’s no worse, but it’s the same issue, which suggests to me that if he had the week off, he would be better the next week,” the Power coach said.

“I let Connor down by letting him play. That would impact anyone. He thought he was absolutely right to play.

“He was flat out, two days in a row no problems at all. Kicked the ball from 60 metres, had shots at goal.

“I’d seen all the things you needed to see. I should’ve known that perhaps that was going to happen, and I set Connor up to fail as a player by the way he had to perform out there.

“They’re really frustrating injuries to make decisions on… there’s always risks. Connor’s was a first-time hamstring.”

Hinkley confirmed Rozee is set to miss the club’s trip to Geelong next week.

Three additional injuries that the Power had to deal with after losing to state rival Adelaide were to Liam Jones’ leg, Todd Marshall’s ankle, and Mitch Georgiades’ knee.

Though more testing would be necessary before determining the full degree of Georgiades and Marshall’s potential impairments, Hinkley expressed his hope that both of them are doing well.

If defender Aliir Aliir comes out of concussion protocols, the Power should have him back for Round 9. Meanwhile, forward Jeremy Finlayson, who served his three-game suspension for using a homophobic slur on Thursday, will be added to the roster.