Rodan, 25, didn’t miss a game in his opening two years with the Power, but became one of the first players to fall victim to his side’s inconsistent form in 2009.
The dashing onballer - who was asked to work on his defensive pressure - missed the round three clash with Melbourne and was only offered a reprieve in round four when vice-captain Shaun Burgoyne withdrew with a knee injury.
Rodan picked up 28 touches and a goal in the win over Hawthorn and played five consecutive games before being omitted again, this time for the match against the Sydney Swans at the SCG.
“It was very tough. The team was a bit up and down early in the season and I guess my form wasn’t up to scratch, so I went back to the SANFL,” Rodan said at a community youth program regional visit on Tuesday.
“There were a few things going on in my life at the time and I think at the time I needed to go back to the SANFL and do the right thing.
“You never like getting dropped, but you just deal with it if it’s best for the team and I’m pretty happy that I’m back in the team now.”
The former Richmond forward kicked three goals against Fremantle in round 11, but like most of his teammates, was quieter in Saturday night’s 93-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Coach Mark Williams put his players through a gruelling boot camp session complete with bricks and medicine balls at Alberton on Monday.
Rodan, who was nursing some sore spots, sat out the training but said he expected similarly themed sessions during the week as punishment for the disappointing display.
“When you give a performance like we did you can expect something like that [the boot camp training] on the Monday,” Rodan said.
“A lot of the boys described it to me and said it was one of the worst they’ve done at the club. They were pretty sore afterwards and it just puts in our minds that we can’t put in efforts like that out on the park.”
The players also met with the coaching staff for individual mid-season reviews.
Rodan said his team was using the experience of 2007 to boost confidence going into the second-half of the season.
“It’s very similar to ’07. When we came back from the break in 2007 [at 7-5] we got consecutive wins, so we understand we’ve been in the position before and can get out of it. Hopefully we can do the same this year,” he said.
“We’ve got a pretty good draw towards the end of the year. We have four or five games at home [in the latter rounds], so if we can capitalise on those we’re a real chance to make the eight.”
Rodan provided a rare highlight for the Power in Darwin on Saturday night when he ducked, weaved and bounced his way into a memorable goal.
The Fijian livewire admitted it was one of his better attempts, but denied it was a genuine contender for goal of the year.
“The goal got pumped up a little bit and the boys got pretty excited, so if I can do that a bit more often I think the team will benefit.”
