Port Adelaide young gun Connor Rozee says being recognised on the streets of Adelaide doesn’t bother him.
Best mate and fellow South Australian top draft pick Jack Lukosius recently inked a long-term deal at the Gold Coast Suns and cited Rozee’s stardom in Adelaide as one of the reasons he chose to stay in Queensland, where he’s rarely noticed.
But Rozee said the adulation didn’t phase him, preferring to embrace the fame which comes with being an AFL footballer.
“I guess Adelaide is a pretty small town,” he said on SEN Summer Breakfast.
“We’ve only got two footy teams in it, so I do get stopped a fair bit but I’m starting to get used to it now.
“It takes a little bit of time to get used to, it’s a bit weird when start coming up in the street and start asking for photos to start with but that’s what comes with the job and that’s why we play the game we love.
“We’ve got a massive supporter base in South Australia; it took a little bit of getting used to (the fame) but I’ve been loving every minute.”
The Power recently announced Tom Jonas would be the club’s sole captain in 2020 after both Jonas and midfielder Ollie Wines shared the role in 2019.
Rozee said it was his calm nature off the field which made him the perfect leader.
“It’s an interesting one, I’ve been there for 12 months so it’s hard to gauge, but Tommy is the right person,” he said.
“At this stage the best position was one captain going forward and Tom was definitely the man for that.
“Behind the scenes, he’s a pretty laid-back character. He can get aggressive on the field and he’s a pretty stern bloke but off the field he’s pretty quiet and likes to get around the young blokes which is good.
“He sets really high standards at training which probably sets him apart from the other leaders.”
You can listen to Connor Rozee's chat with Jack Heverin and Nick Dal Santo in the player below.