PORT Adelaide's embarrassment of riches at the selection table could be further strengthened by the early return of gun youngster Connor Rozee for its round two clash against Essendon. 

Rozee's absence with a foot injury was hardly noticed as last year's minor premiers cruised to a 52-point drubbing of North Melbourne on Sunday, but that hasn’t stopped veteran coach Ken Hinkley being excited about the prospect of his star 21-year-old returning to take on the Bombers.

ROOS v POWER Full match coverage and stats

"We are bullish that he (Rozee) will be available for next Saturday," Hinkley said after the victory.

"He did some bike on Thursday, he ran on Saturday and he should progress from there Tuesday and Thursday. 

07:22

Highlights: North Melbourne v Port Adelaide

The Kangaroos and Power clash in round one

Published on Mar 21, 2021

"Part of our planning with the surgery was to get some football into him, so if everything went well - which it did - we would be able to fast track him pretty quickly. 

"We won’t rush him. He will have to be right because we made the decision for him to have the surgery, so he had the best chance of having a strong season.

"I have got to say I am pretty excited about Connor Rozee coming back into our team as he adds a bit."

10:19

Ken on squad mentality: 'If you're in form, you'll be in the team'

Watch Port Adelaide's press conference after their round eight match against North Melbourne

Published on Mar 21, 2021

The Power are starting to build an imposing list with plenty of depth, with the likes of Orazio Fantasia and Aliir Aliir impressing on debut against the Kangaroos, and veteran midfielder Tom Rockliff only receiving some game time as substitute when Riley Bonner limped from the field during the third term with a hamstring issue.

They also have the likes of Hamish Hartlett, Mitch Georgiades, Trent McKenzie and Sam Powell-Pepper out of the side for a variety of reasons, but that can only be a positive according to Hinkley.

"We have got a squad mentality and the 22 we pick are the best 22 for the round we play and that will change from week to week," he said.

"Really good form gets you in the team regardless of who is in and who is out."

While North Melbourne showed some signs of improvement in the loss to Port Adelaide, rookie coach David Noble knows his side has a long way to go before they can mix it with competitive heavyweights.

08:30

Noble: Stephenson proved he was more than just a forward

Watch North Melbourne's press conference after round one's match against Port Adelaide

Published on Mar 21, 2021

The Roos displayed some positive intent during an impressive opening term to lead the Power by two points at quarter-time, only for the gulf in class to show as the match continued and the margin increased.

One North Melbourne player to produce an eye-catching four-quarter performance was Jaidyn Stephenson, with the former Magpie collecting a career high 33 disposals on debut following his highly publicised off-season move from Collingwood.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: Jaidyn Stephenson of the Kangaroos kicks during the round one AFL match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Port Adelaide Power at Marvel Stadium on March 21, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images via AFL Photos)

"I thought he was terrific," Noble said of Stephenson.

"He has been building towards that and it is an area we challenged him at over the pre-season…I think he has got more to offer than just a forward.

"His contribution to the team is really important."