Overview
- Port Adelaide confirmed captain Connor Rozee will miss at least three months with a hamstring tendon tear, with vice-captain Zak Butters appointed acting skipper as the club says it will match any free-agency bids for him.
- Essendon fell to 0-2 after a 63-point loss to Port Adelaide, with senior forward Kyle Langford saying players must fix the team’s substandard defensive work rather than pin the slide on coach Brad Scott.
- Club great James Hird said he cannot see a clear Essendon game style, while Fremantle’s Mason Cox backed coaches speaking bluntly in public as a way to force player accountability.
- West Coast will play at 9:30am Perth time in Adelaide, the earliest body-clock start faced by a WA team, and high-performance boss Phil Merriman outlined fixes like earlier bedtimes, a mandatory morning walk, two pregame meals and immediate sunlight to switch on the system.
- Collingwood will regain captain Darcy Moore and defender Jeremy Howe against GWS, with coach Craig McRae indicating their minutes could be managed after calf issues as the club works on cleaner forward connection.