Questions are being asked of Port Adelaide after captain Connor Rozee suffered another injury during Thursday night’s 30-point loss to Adelaide.
Rozee suffered a hamstring injury just five days ago, but was surprisingly passed fit to lead the side in the Showdown.
However, disaster struck in the third quarter when Rozee pulled up short when dishing off a handball.
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It was unclear what exactly happened, but it appeared he hyperextended his leg and immediately looked proppy.
He went to the bench where he spent 12 minutes off the ground and looked disappointed.
“You wonder what he would be thinking right now about going in with a bit of a niggle and has he let the side down?” Channel 7 commentator Brian Taylor said.
Fellow commentator Dale Thomas was shocked they didn’t pull the trigger on the sub as Rozee sat on the bench.
“He is a very important part of this team going forward … But at what point do you take it out of his hands and make a decision which is better for the club going forward and inject a player who is fresh rather than risking your captain and one of your best players,” he said.
But despite not looking fit, he was sent back out on the ground for the final few minutes of the third term.
“You want great players to be on the field but as he ran on, it did look like he was limping and not as explosive as he usually is,” boundary commentator Erin Phillips said.
There was another twist during the three-quarter time break when he was eventually subbed out of the game with the club saying it was “hamstring tightness”.
Fans blew up at the handling of their star player.
“Whoever made the call to play Rozee MUST face the music. Horrible call,” one fan said.
“Ridiculous management by Port to allow Rozee to play,” another said.
“The Connor Rozee situation is one of the strangest injury management I’ve ever seen,” another added.
“One of the worst selection calls by our medico and coaching teams in memory, and that’s saying something after the last couple years of finals. Utterly disappointed and deeply unimpressed,” another said.
After the match, coach Ken Hinkley accepted the blame for the call.
“I made a mistake playing Connor Rozee tonight. That was clear, it was obvious,” Hinkley said.
“I can try and hide behind it but I am not a coward when it comes to owning a mistake, and that was what it was.
“I let Connor down by letting him play.”
The Power’s night went from bad to worse with Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiades both limping off in the last quarter.
It capped a disastrous game for the club, who slumped to their third loss of the season.
The Crows move to 3-5 and hold overall boasting rights over Port with a 28-27 edge over their SA rivals in 55 Showdowns.
Adelaide led the entire game as midfielder Jake Soligo continued his rich form with 27 disposals to win the best on ground medal.
Fellow on-ballers Matt Crouch (28 touches), Jordan Dawson (24) and Rory Laird (26) were busy and Darcy Fogarty (two goals) was a standout in attack.
Veteran Taylor Walker also booted two goals while Mark Keane and Josh Worrell were superb in defence.
Port vice-captain Zak Butters gathered a game-high 33 disposals and Miles Bergman (20 touches) and Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines (22) battled gamely.
Jason Horne-Francis (two goals) was damaging in spurts and Dan Houston (20 possessions) was accomplished at halfback.
Adelaide’s Fogarty booted two early goals in a 90-second burst to set the tone for the Crows.
And when his veteran teammate Walker took possession at half-forward, had a bounce, and slotted from 50 metres, the Crows were 18-1 up.
Port’s Charlie Dixon settled his side before two more Adelaide goals created a 23-point buffer.
The Power rallied with two late strikes – a Todd Marshall long-range effort reduced their deficit to eight points at quarter time.
Adelaide gradually edged further ahead in a low-scoring second term with Rankine and Lachlan Sholl scoring while keeping Port goal-less.
The Crows led by 19 points at halftime and again made another move in the third term.
After Walker booted his second goal, Rankine produced a trademark goal — from one step and a tight angle, he put Adelaide 31 points ahead.
The Power clawed one back through Horne-Francis but the Crows were still in command by 23 points at three quarter-time.
Horne-Francis slotted his second to bring Port within 18 points but Adelaide then iced the victory with three consecutive goals.
– With AAP