Dennis Cometti’s call to ancient Greece is for now the voice attached to one moment in the Showdown story

As Australian football mourns the death of pioneer television caller Mike Williamson, it is worth thinking which voice from the commentary box will be attached to the Showdown

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If a VFL-AFL grand final is remembered for the late Mike Williamson’s “Jezza-lenko, you beauty”, what is the sound of a Showdown?

In SANFL football, the never-ending echo from a commentary box - appropriately from the same time Williamson was giving the VFL game its television voice - is from Max Hall, Wally May and Ian Aitken.

Max Hall would, as was the routine, throw to the former Sturt hardman Wally May for a special insight on a play by prodding with: “Comment Wally May.”

But this day May replied: “No comment.”

And Aitken closed with: “Good comment.”

Showdown 46 at Adelaide Oval on Saturday evening marks the start of the 23rd season of derbies between Port Adelaide and the Crows. And the commentary moment that will live forever comes from Dennis Cometti ... and his on-the-spot thought to bring an ancient Greek philosopher into the last Showdown played at Football Park in 2014.

That Showdown - No. 35 - was decided in Port Adelaide’s favour as a last-quarter rush against the Crows was charged by Angus Monfries and his remarkable goal that bounced into the northern goal with more break than a cricket off-spinner could dream for.

And it had Cometti say: “If Pythagoras is watching, explain that.”

Later, reflecting on the moment that lives in Showdown folklore and is made more colourful for Cometti’s commentary, the West Australian noted: “I never understood Pythagoras at high school. But I knew one day it would have an application for me.”

The Australian football vocabulary certainly is marked by Williamson - and not just with the “Jezza-lenko, you beauty” remark as Carlton great Alex Jesaulenko rose to the sky for a classic mark in the 1970 VFL grand final against Collingwood at the MCG.

As Bruce McAvaney noted in his fitting tribute on Friday, Williamson had the knack of saying the most with the fewest words ... a theme many of Williamson’s followers to the television commentary box have failed to grasp.

Williamson’s voice will live on with the vision of South Australian great Malcolm Blight’s after-the-siren torpedo goal that sealed a win for North Melbourne against Carlton at Princes Park in 1976 ... and the most-famous behind in Australian football history, Barry Breen’s totally effective snap that delivered St Kilda’s only VFL premiership in the dramatic 1966 grand final against Collingwood at the MCG.

In wearing black arm bands on Friday night, the Collingwood players made a grand tribute to Williamson ... His mark on Australian football will live for a long, long time.

For now, Cometti has the sound of the Showdown.

It is enewletter No. 10 - or should that be X in honour of how Showdowns were first badged with Roman numerals? - as the classic SA derby takes on significant meaning in the 2019 AFL premiership race for the Power and Crows.

This week, the Roast looks at the traditions that have made the Showdown ... did we really have the derby packaged around donuts?

Port Adelaide’s fight to wear its traditional black-and-white “prison bar” jumper has delivered more shots than those fired in the Magpies-Power clash at the Melbourne Docklands on Friday ... and revived the myths about how SA decided its second entry to the AFL.

And as Port Adelaide prepares to go international again next month with a new rival - St Kilda - in Shanghai, the business model in the Power’s “China Strategy” has gained more significance with a major multi-national company backing David Koch’s dream in China.

Reality Bites has a strong world football flavour ....

Welcome to the Roast II-X.

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