Port Adelaide enters Showdown 44 with its player group needing to prove it has not forgotten how to win the derby against Adelaide Crows

PORT Adelaide has lost five consecutive Showdowns against the Adelaide Crows — and for the first time in derby history has a player group that cannot say it knows how to overcome its SA rival.

Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak and coach Ken Hinkley have not celebrated a Showdown win since May 2015 — and questions linger on how repetitive derby losses have hurt the Power’s pysche in the SA grudge match. Picture: Sarah Reed.

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DOES Port Adelaide remember how to beat the Crows?

For the first time in the 21-year Showdown story, Port Adelaide has more than a handful of players who have never known the feeling of a win for AFL premiership points against Adelaide.

As the Power faces a record six consecutive losses to the Crows in Saturday’s derby, the question of what Showdown scar is left on the Port Adelaide players — and how they overcome the theme of being “owned” by the Crows in the past three seasons.

Of the 27 players in the selection frame for Showdown 44 at Adelaide Oval, eight players have never celebrated a win against the Crows.

Taylor Walker holds back Charlie Dixon from a confrontation with Tom Lynch in Showdown 40. Dixon is yet to beat the Crows in seven attempts. Picture: Sarah Reed.

They are key forward Charlie Dixon (0-7 with three losses against the Crows while at Gold Coast), specialist forward Sam Gray (0-5), defenders Darcy Byrne-Jones (0-3), Dougal Howard (0-1) and Dan Houston (0-1), midfielders Karl Amon (0-3) and Sam Powell-Pepper (0-2) and defensive forward Aidyn Johnson (0-1).

Of the 27 names on the selection whiteboard at Alberton this week, only defender Jasper Pittard has savoured more wins than losses (5-4) in Showdowns.

Even the Power’s most-experienced pair — captain Travis Boak and utility Justin Westhoff — have stayed on the field at Football Park and Adelaide Oval to watch the Crows collect the old Showdown Trophy more often than themselves. They have an 8-12 record in the derby since 2007.

“We’re really hungry to turn that around,” Boak said.

“There is no doubt about that.

“The whole club is — supporters ... it has been long enough that we have not won one.”

But repetitive losses must have put a significant dent in Port Adelaide’s pysche — as was said of the Crows during their difficult era in Showdowns during the Power’s seven consecutive wins from 2000-2003 or during the dark chapter at Alberton from 2008-11 when Port Adelaide won five of six derbies.

The psychology of those Showdowns was — if the game is tight, the Power players will have confidence they can win; the Crows players will have doubts that will be exposed late in the game.

Now the tables have been turned — as was noted in Showdown 42 (Crows by 17 points), Showdown 41 (Crows by 15) and Showdown 39 (Crows by three).

Port Adelaide’s last Showdown win was on May 3, 2015.

The Power's Sam Gray chases Crows captain Rory Sloane. He is also yet to taste success against the Crows. Picture: Phil Williams

Hinkley — after starting with three consecutive wins in Showdowns — has a 4-6 count in the derby. And he is managing a group of players who have to prove they are indeed fed up in having the Crows command the derby agenda.

The count against the other Port Adelaide players is — Jake Neade (1-3), Patrick Ryder (1-3, after a 5-4 record at Essendon), Jack Hombsch (2-5, including a loss with Greater Western Sydney), Jared Polec (2-5, all at the Power with no game against the Crows while playing 16 games with Brisbane); Tom Jonas (3-5), Ollie Wines (3-6), Robbie Gray (7-8) and Brad Ebert (4-8 in Showdowns and 3-3 in his 76 games at West Coast).

If Chad Wingard was clear of his hamstring injury, he would be taking a 4-6 count to Showdown 44.

Of the big-name recruits brought to Alberton this season, former Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff has a 1-7 record against the Crows; former Melbourne forward Jack Watts is 3-5 and former Geelong midfielder-forward Steve Motlop is 6-4.

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