Port Adelaide’s Esava Ratugolea produced one of his best performances for the club on Saturday, stating the boys were ‘up and about’ off the back of the win. 

With confidence and momentum as the group heads into a three-week home game streak, the Power is seeking to get its season on track after an inconsistent start. 

Ratugolea spoke to the Adelaide media on Tuesday, discussing the win in Canberra, his own performance, and how close Jason Horne-Francis is to a return. 

Ratugolea on the vibe at the club after the win 
“It was a lot nicer coming in this morning, that's for sure. Yeah, the boys are up and about, and everyone's pretty positive at the moment, which is good. We've had a tough month or so the win on the weekend was really good for us and our confidence. So, yeah, excited for the weekend too. 

Ratugolea on gaining confidence from the win 
“Oh, it helps a lot, especially with a side like this. We've got a lot of younger players as well. So I think confidence drives a lot of that, and also having confidence in our game plan as well. You know, on the weekend, it showed that. We had a really good training session the week before, and on the Saturday, on the bye. So we had a lot of confidence going to the game. And like I said earlier, the boys are up and about today, and we're looking forward to the week ahead. And we’ve got three home games coming up too, so I think that'll help us a lot.” 

Ratugolea on winning a fourth quarter 
“I had a conversation with a few of the boys today, and there's a number of us that thought that we all played a good four quarters, and that showed around the team as well. You know, that's been our biggest issue…we've started games really well, just haven't been able to finish them. So the weekend, it showed that with our contest and our pressure, that was probably our main focus going into the game and we did that, and our game and our team review today was really positive.” 

Ratugolea on Willie Rioli almost missing the song on the weekend 
“I love that bloke because he loves to give back to the fans all the time, which is something I love about him. But it was a bit awkward on the weekend, because we all got our arms around each other's shoulders and ready to sing the song, and he was still over on the other side of the oval. So no, he loves doing that. He loves giving back. Honestly, I was getting cold. I was keen to put on a hoodie!” 

Ratugolea on reviewing his own performance 
“I was pretty happy my performance. Like I said earlier, a number of us were happy that we played four quarters of footy, and I sort of did that. I reckon that's something that I've probably lacked throughout the year, was just starting games well, but not being able to finish games well. And I thought I did that well on the weekend. I thought my contest was there, and I was able to read the ball really well. So, yeah, I was happy.” 

Ratugolea on Connor Rozee joining the backline 
“There's been a few changes. Connor's come back, and then obviously Thatch (Brandon Zerk-Thatcher) has come back from injury as well. So we definitely look a bit different, but, you know, it's working really well for us. I think Connor provides something else, as good as he is with using the ball, he's really good overhead as well. So, you know, I think we look pretty solid at the moment, and our connection is there, and especially with the bigs as well. Like, we're working well together as well.” 

Ratugolea on having a couple of extra days’ break compared to Melbourne this week 
“Yeah, I think, I think would help a lot. They had a pretty big contest yesterday, so it looked like there'd be a few sore boys. But yeah, I guess it would help us out. We feel pretty fresh and ready to go. But, you know, we won't find out until we get out there.” 

Ratugolea on feeling more settled in the backline 
“Yeah, I feel a little bit more settled. I've put a lot of work into my game, and I feel like that’s starting to show now. There's obviously still a lot to go, but, besides the last couple of weeks, I've been able to keep on top of my body and play out games, which is helping. But yeah, I'm a player that really needs confidence to play as well. And at the moment, I'm in a really good head space, and hopefully I can do that for the rest of the year.” 

Ratugolea on Jack Lukosius 
“Yeah, you can see the frustration that he’s had around the club…but I think he's in a good head space at the moment. He's obviously had a few hiccups with his rehab and some things that are popping up. But, they're looking after him really well. And he's as professional as they come to so he's doing the best he can to come back, along with the other boys as well. But, yeah, at the moment he's in a good headspace.” 

Ratugolea on Jason Horne-Francis 
“Yeah he’ll be a nice inclusion to have. He looks pretty good, he’s pretty confident is. He's a bit more chirpy again, which means he's probably close to playing. So, yeah, it'd be good to have him back again.”