PORT Adelaide skipper Connor Rozee needs to push his case at training on Wednesday night to be cleared for coach Ken Hinkley’s final Showdown in charge.
Rozee missed last week’s loss to Hawthorn with a fractured hand, and will join his Power teammates on Adelaide Oval for a training session under lights, following Adelaide’s twilight session.
“There’s just no point at putting someone at risk, and he’s got a crack in his hand. He was hopeful yesterday, but that doesn’t get you through. So, he might be there.”
In a joint pre-Showdown press conference with Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks, Hinkley was reminiscing on battles past, many of them with Nicks in Power colours as an assistant coach, and made a startling admission.
“Showdowns have been a special part of my journey, clearly, and we’ve been a part of so many. I’m really lucky to have some great memories, and some not-so-great memories, but that’s the great thing about Showdowns,” he said.
“I won’t miss Showdowns. As much as everyone says they’re good for the state, they’re not good for the coaches, and perhaps the players, it puts the heat on, and we look forward to one last crack.
“You’ve got to win so you don’t lose. Everyone’s so close and we don’t want to lose to them, that doesn’t change, and they never want to lose to us.”
“But when you lose in this town, in a Showdown, it’s a little bit different. You drive in the dark at night when you get in the car, you don’t drive in daylight when you lose,” he finished with a laugh.
Saturday night will be Hinkley’s 25th Showdown in charge, with Adelaide carrying a 13-11 lead over that period. But the Power have had an uncanny knack at pulling out big moments against their fiercest rival, although Hinkley refused to individualise.
“It’d be unfair, really. Unfair. There’s been so many, good or bad. Clearly early days, the (Angus Monfries goal) bounce was amazing for me, the (Jordan) Dawson goal wasn’t so amazing for me,” he said.
Nicks served six seasons as an assistant under Hinkley, taking the reins at Adelaide in 2020, with Saturday set to be the 11th time the pair have gone head-to-head.
“It’s been a great challenge, going up against a side that has historically had our measure, since I moved across,” Nicks said.
“Ken’s had a lot of success along the journey, and I’ve learned a hell of a lot from him. So going up against him – and we know how players are the ones who can play it – but we go against a person who you learn so much from, I enjoy it.
“It’s such a special weekend. It’s a big occasion, it’s a moment you have to embrace, and it’s a different game for whatever reason, there’s a passion towards it that you don’t get in many other games – obviously, finals footy and those sorts of games. Most of them have been close and decided by a kick or two.”
Nicks said the tenacious Mitch Hinge will test his corked hip at training on Wednesday night, and will benefit from only playing 15 minutes before being subbed off in last week’s thumping victory over Gold Coast.
Veteran Matt Crouch (hip) will continue to build minutes in the SANFL this weekend, having last played AFL in round seven.
Hinkley said he backed his existing backline in the face of Adelaide’s ominous forward combination of Riley Thilthorpe, Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker, and didn’t have any other tall options to bring in with Esava Ratugolea (hamstring) sidelined.
“We’re going to do our best. We’ve got no guarantees. We’re going to do our best to try and [upset] a quality opponent,” he said.
“Our best, sometimes, has been very, very good. Don’t give us a sniff.”
