Two-time Crows Premiership Captain Mark Bickley enjoyed some tough battles against arch rival Port Adelaide during his AFL career.

And while the Showdowns didn’t always go his way, the fifth encounter between the two sides will now always be a special memory for Bickley.

Showdown Medals for the first six duals were officially awarded this week, and Bickley was recognised for his performance during the first battle of the 1999 season.

Speaking to AFC Media, Bickley said it was a privilege to be recognised for his 30 disposals and one goal performance in the Crows’, 8.7 (115) to 12.15 (87) win.

“I didn’t have a great Showdown record, to be honest,” Bickley said.

“I won three games out of 13 Showdowns and that sort of coincided with Port Adelaide as they ramped up to their first Premiership in 2004.

“But it’s nice to look back and have a smile on your face for that win in Showdown Five and now to have a medal is a really nice honour.

“When you look at the people who have won them, it really is the who’s who of both the teams, with Robbie Gray and Mark Ricciuto and all the great players have one.”

Bickley says his memory of the match has become a little hazy with time but feels fortunate to have won the medal, given how well some of his teammates performed.

“I wish I could remember more about the game,” Bickley said.

“But you look at 1999 and it wasn’t a great year for us, after winning two flags, we really got hit hard with injuries.

“This Showdown was the first one of the year, so at that stage we hadn’t been impacted too much with injuries, so to be able to get another Showdown win was good.

“Matthew Robran kicked five goals and Kane Johnson was another one who played really well in that game, so I was pretty lucky to be receiving the medal and it’s certainly a great honour.”

Bickley will be one of the media identities voting on Saturday night’s Showdown Medal - a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.

“When two South Australian teams came in, it created an instant rivalry and a rivalry that was intense and real,” Bickley said.

“That’s carried over and I love the fact that the people who were there all those years ago were a part of starting something.

“It’s a great responsibility to vote on the medal, hopefully I get it right.

“I think Adelaide will start as red-hot favourites but as we’ve seen before this game has been notorious for upsets and also Port Adelaide are often at their most dangerous when their backs are against the wall… We’ll see how it all plays out.”