Is there a better game in the AFL than a Showdown? That question was rhetorical, the answer is of course no!
It’s a rivalry that dates back to the Power joining the comp in 1997 - some would even argue far longer - and it truly rules a line down the middle of the state.
Friendships are divided, households are split… the atmosphere and energy around South Australia is electric.
So, ahead of Showdown 49 on Saturday, I’ve decided to give my five favourite Showdowns - a mix of games I played in, and games I watched as a diehard fan growing up in Ardrossan.
Here they are:
5. Showdown IV, Round 19, 1998
With Adelaide increasing its lead at every break, it was a demolition of the Power.
Peter Vardy kicking 7.5 in a dominant display lead to the crows winning the game by 74 and evening the ledger up at 2-2.
For me, it was the first Showdown where we showcased our domination over Port Adelaide.
They won the first one, obviously, but up until then they’d been really tight contests.
We won by 74, we exerted our stake as the Number One team in South Australia and went on to claim our second flag in two years.
Watching it at home with the family in Ardrossan as a 10-year-old, I never cheered so loudly at the TV screen.
4. Showdown XV - Round Seven, 2004
Finally, the drought breaker…
Port had won seven matches in a row and boy weren’t we hearing about it.
Saturday night at Football Park, the Power up by six at quarter-time, we needed someone to step up.
Enter Club legend Mark Ricciuto, who finished with 36 touches and 11 inside 50s. A true Captain’s game.
Throw in four goals for a young Graham “Stiffy” Johncock in his 55th game and boy did the fans find another cult hero.
To steal a win over Port Adelaide in their Premiership year… it really gave us the springboard and foundation for dominant 2005, 2006 seasons.
3. Showdown XIX - Semi-final, 2005
Can you remember a Showdown with a bigger build up than this? “Super Showdown” was a phrase I was hearing a lot.
To date, this is still the only time the Crows and Power have faced off in the Finals - and isn’t that great for us!
It was a tight, low-scoring tussle at half-time with Adelaide up by just seven points heading into the major break.
In the third, we turned on the afterburners and kicked eight goals to one followed by a six goal to one final term. That’s a 14-2 goal half for those playing at home.
I was nervous heading into the game, I was… but knowing the game was over at the final break and sitting back to enjoy made all the difference.
The icing on the cake? Big defender Ben Rutten, after getting the better of Warren Tredrae, even ventured forward for a goal of his own.
I was desperate for us to win, but never could I have predicted a then record 83-point win.
2. Showdown XLV - Round 20, 2018
One of the tightest Showdowns of all time with nine points being the largest margin of any break in the game.
The scoreboard seesawed in a high-scoring match between two sides desperate for a win.
And you all know what happened in the final minutes… Josh Jenkins with a *ahem* questionable goal late to seal the win by just three points.
“My grandmother taught me not to tell lies” became an infamous line, read in every story in every paper across Australia.
The hardest part was, there was still two minutes left in the game - we couldn’t celebrate too much, we knew all too well the dangers of Port Adelaide late in the game (Motlop, Monfries...ouch).
But once Atkins had marked, we knew we had it. The siren went as he kicked and the raw emotion of the boys was unbridled.
1. Showdown XXXIX - Round 16, 2015
A game that will forever be known as the Phil Walsh Showdown following his death.
The emotion of playing against West Coast, losing by 56 points in Perth the weekend before made the build up to this game so much more.
An away Showdown between two teams close on the ladder (eigth for us, 12th for them) in front of a then record crowd of 53,518 people.
We came out of the blocks strong and were up six goals to three in the first quarter and continued for a lead of five goals at the final break.
Credit to Port Adelaide, in true Walshy spirit they fought back and were coming hard.
We didn’t score a goal in the final quarter but held on for a famous three-point victory.
It was a true tribute to the Walsh family, and for the Crows to win, I’ll never forget the feeling of doing his family proud.
I know he would of been proud either way and the joy he would have got, but it made all the difference for us to “get the job done”.
Cheers to you, Walshy.
