Veteran Adelaide forward Taylor Walker says the ruck match-up between Lachlan McAndrew and Jordan Sweet will be pivotal in deciding Saturday night’s Showdown.
McAndrew has impressed in his first full season as an AFL ruckman, sitting second in the competition for total hit-outs.
This week, he faces in-form Power big man Jordan Sweet, who is currently in fourth spot on the hit-outs list, and has been one of Port Adelaide’s stand-out players in 2026.
Speaking to Roo, Ditts and Loz on Triple M Adelaide Breakfast, Walker went in-depth on the importance of the ruck battle this Saturday night.
“It’s going to be hot between McAndrew and Sweet to see who can give their team first use, because Hornet (Jason Horne-Francis) and Zak Butters and Joe Richards in their midfield are very dynamic and can hurt us,” Walker said.
“So Stretch is going to be very important to us, to help our boys in the midfield get the ball out going our way and locked in the front half so we can make it difficult for their defenders.”
Walker also said he expected to be greeted by a fired up Port Adelaide unit, who in front of its home crowd, would be desperate to turn its recent run of close losses into a victory.
“We’re looking forward to the Showdown, I did hear what Carry (senior coach Josh Carr) said after the game last week about how they were setting themselves up for a big game in the Showdown, and we will be too.
“We’re looking forward to another great contest, they might not be getting the four points like they want to, but we’re under no illusions that this game will be on like Donkey Kong."
Power livewire Jason Horne-Francis joined Walker in the Triple M Adelaide studios on Tuesday morning to chat all things Showdown.
He gave his thoughts on the Crows and why the Power were keen to bounce back from a heart-breaking one-point Showdown loss in Round Eight.
“The good thing is we verse them twice a year so we know what we’re coming up against, they’re a very good contest outnumber team and they work their ass off,” Horne-Francis said.
“Usually when they’re getting on top of us, that’s what they’re doing, so we need to be strong in that area and match them with that.
“And then we’ve got to improve what we’ve been working on with our connection inside 50, if we can get that right hopefully it will go a long way.”
Adelaide takes on Port Adelaide in Showdown 60 at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, with the match to begin at 7.05pm.
Showdown 60 is a Port Adelaide home match, meaning Crows Memberships will not give fans access to the game.
