Brad Crouch's courageous decision to play without protective headwear paid dividends in Showdown XLIII.

Crouch, 23, sustained a fractured cheekbone in the third quarter of Adelaide's Round 18 win over Geelong.

Although the injury wasn’t enough to keep the tough-as-nails midfielder from playing out the game, it prevented him from featuring in the Club's thrilling draw with Collingwood the following weekend.

As he pushed to make his return against Port Adelaide, the idea of wearing protective headgear was raised by Club officials.

Crouch trialled a helmet at training, but the decision to wear it on game day was ultimately left with him.

“I struggled with it a little bit,” Crouch told afc.com.au.

“I found that it was moving around a bit on my head. The doctor gave me the option on if I could use it or not use it, so if I thought if it was going to affect me even a little bit, I’ll just take the risk.”

He didn’t have to search far for advice. Teammate Rory Sloane went through a similar experience, donning the helmet two years earlier.

“Originally I tried that one on and his helmet probably fit better than mine in the end. His was on the other cheekbone, so I had to go and get one made,” Crouch said.

The decision to go without it paid off. Crouch played a key role in Adelaide's stirring Showdown victory as the Crows punished Port by a record 84 points.

“The attitude we came out with, we really brought it to them. I think we could sense that. Our first quarter was really strong… Obviously, we didn’t kick the way we wanted to, but we got results in the second quarter and had a good lead at half-time,” he said.

Crouch proved a vital part of Adelaide's engine room on the day, recording 29 disposals, nine clearances and eight tackles in the contest.

The importance of Showdown XLIII was not lost on the midfielder, as the Crows look to establish momentum in the lead-up to September.

“It was obviously built up to be a huge game. They’ve had a great year as well, Port Adelaide. We came out with the right attitude,” Crouch said.

“I thought we played the way we wanted to and played the game on our terms, and that gave us the result we got.”

With finals action drawing closer, Adelaide’s midfield continues to go from strength to strength.

“As a midfield, we’re trying to play as one. We’re all trying to contribute,” he said.

“It’s weight of numbers in the midfield now, so if we keep bringing that (effort) I think we’ll go pretty far.”

Growing up in rainy Ballarat, Crouch is accustomed to playing in all conditions - rain, hail or shine. Sunday's severe weather was not an issue on Brad’s mind as the Crouch brothers relished the heavy downpour at the opening bounce.

“We didn’t have any other choice, really. It’s not that we go out there with a focus on the rain or anything like that,” Crouch said.

“We just go out and play footy no matter what the weather is.”