Five years ahead of Port Adelaide joining Adelaide in the AFL, there was an unofficial showdown.
The new Adelaide Football Club and Port Adelaide first clashed in the summer of 1992, before South Australian football’s fiercest rivalry had a name.
It would be five more years until Port entered the AFL but the SANFL Magpies agreed to play against Adelaide’s ‘B’ side as a curtain-raiser to the Crows’ main AFL trial against West Coast on February 1.
Adelaide won 16.14 (110) to 11.19 (85) against an experienced and competitive Port, which trailed by only a goal at half-time.
But Adelaide’s top priority was to assess 11 SANFL players who were among a larger group training to win one of eight available spots in Adelaide’s 52-man squad, to be finalised later that month.
For these hopeful Crows, this was more than a trial.
Anthony Modra seized the day. The exciting full forward from the Riverland kicked 5.6 to secure his place. He had impressed late in the 1991 SANFL season with West Adelaide, headlined by his eight goals against Port in the elimination final.
Tough Glenelg defender Mark Viska, Eagles half-forward Michael DiBiase and South Adelaide tall Chris Groom were the others from this trial to be locked in as the Crows’ concession picks.
They were joined by Central District’s Anthony Ingerson – who played in the main trial that night - and gifted teenagers Mark Ricciuto, Sean Wellman and Seb Packer.
But it was far from over for others who missed the cut after training all summer.
Norwood’s Brett James was drafted by Collingwood at the end 1992 but four years later found his way to Adelaide in a trade and then played in the 1997 and 1998 premierships with the Crows.
Magpie Darryl Wakelin was a reluctant Crows recruit at the 1993 pre-season draft but starred for Port in its 1994 SANFL Premiership and then moved to St Kilda, where he played 115 games. The key defender later returned to Port’s AFL side for another 146 games and was at full back in the 2004 premiership side.
Brodie Atkinson had a taste of AFL with St Kilda (two games in 1993) and later, after winning the 1997 Magarey Medal with Sturt, played five games for Adelaide in 1999.
Paul Prymke also went on to play in the AFL with Melbourne after being part of the Woodville-West Torrens 1993 SANFL premiership side.
Central District’s Hugh Reimers spent time at St Kilda and Western Bulldogs while Glenelg’s Simon Hele and Greg Mellor (West Adelaide) both had successful careers and earned Hall of Fame honours at their SANFL clubs.
Port’s team for the trial included young gun Nathan Buckley, who later that year won the Magarey Medal and played in Port’s 1992 SANFL premiership side before becoming one of the AFL’s greatest players, with Brisbane and Collingwood.
It was another five years before the Showdown tradition came to life.
Port entered the AFL as the Power for the 1997 season and despite Modra kicking seven goals, won its first derby with its South Australian foes to spark one of the AFL’s greatest rivalries.
Now in its 30th season of competition, Showdown 60 will be played at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night with Adelaide leading 31-28 for overall wins.
