Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr is "really confident" captain Connor Rozee's hamstring issue isn't as bad as it seems, as Rozee returned on day one of the 2027 pre-season.
The Power skipper went down with a serious hamstring injury in Round 2 against Essendon, in what was anticipated to be a three-to-four-month return time frame.
Further scans revealed there was nerve damage, preventing Rozee from hitting maximum speeds, leading to the club's decision in June to rule him out of the season.
But Port Adelaide fans, and their coach, are buoyed by his return to the track on Monday.
“I was really confident; it was probably more for you guys to see it to be honest,” Carr said.
“I've seen him over the break in here and doing the work, working on his body and joining in certain drills.
“So I think for our supporters to see him and get a bit of confidence that it is not as bad as what people probably think it is and as much as there is a lot of unknown about it, the known part is that it is improving and getting better.
“To put a specific date on it is really hard but at the same time we've got a good time frame of what that is looking like and the improvement that it has taken over the last month or two.”
Carr said Rozee is a player "pretty free in the mind", and will be a welcome return to the senior side, especially given the departure of close mate and star midfielder Zak Butters.
“I love seeing those mock drafts now when they go back, a year ago he was probably top two or three and then all of a sudden he's slid down the pecking order,” he said.
“So you get forgotten about pretty quick in this game.
“And that is a always a good message to all our players.
“When you've had a year out of the game, you can get forgotten about pretty quickly so it won't take him long to get those guys back.
“I look at him and think he is has definitely matured and definitely got a lot out of this last eight to nine months.
“Whether that is improvement individually, perspective on the game and what that looks like, a lot of learnings from being able to sit in the box or on the bench and watch footy, for me I feel like it has been outstanding for him to sort of sit back and just understand himself, the team and us a footy club.
“I see a guy that looks pretty free in the mind and pretty excited about playing AFL footy.”
As for who will help fill the midfield void left by Butters, the Port Adelaide coach flagged Jase Burgoyne as one who is expected to get more inside minutes in 2027.
"Jase will definitely be more inside than outside,” Carr said.
“He will still have moments where he will go out onto the wing, but we saw him step up in that last month as an inside mid and he showed everyone what he is capable of.
“Now it's for him to keep going and take that next step.”
Power recruit Luke Pedlar is also hoping to learn the craft alongside Rozee and Burgoyne, with an eye on midfield minutes coupled with a small forward role.
