Before the ball was bounced to start that game, Brogan let Lovett know he was in his (and the Power's) sights. As has been widely publicised – and criticised by some – Brogan gave Lovett a spray, then pointed to his eyes with two fingers and then at Lovett to let him know he would be watching him.

In fairness, such byplay is not uncommon in the AFL. But after the quarter-time siren, Brogan followed it up by bumping Lovett from behind, sending him sprawling to the turf.

As bumps go, it was at the minor end of the scale. But it was enough for Brogan to be suspended for one week, the fact it occurred outside of the play and after the siren counted against the Port big man.

Brogan regrets the incident and the suspension, but says he would never change the aggressive mindset he takes onto the field every match.

"Look, if I had my time again I'd obviously do a few things differently … but round one (against Essendon) was a very important game for us," Brogan says.

"We'd been training for four or five months and we'd focused very heavily on Essendon and some of their good players.

"I just wanted to come out and set the tone, get my game going and get my team focused and ready to go."

Speak to Brogan, and you’ll often hear him talk of "setting the tone".

Watch him closely during a game and you’ll soon see what he’s talking about.

In his 10th season at the Power and having assumed the No.1 ruckman mantle from long-time partner Brendon Lade mid-way through last season, Brogan has become one of the most vocal Power players on the field, particularly at centre bounces.

There, he constantly barks instructions at his midfielders, telling them what to do and where to go. He calls it “setting the tone”; others might know it better as leadership.

Read the full story by Nick Bowen in the round 14 edition of the AFL Record, available at all grounds.