AFLW: Adelaide v Port Adelaide in historic Showdown, latest news and scores
It promised to be a massive night for Port Adelaide in its inaugural season, but arch-rivals the Adelaide Crows delivered a brutal dose of reality in their first ever women’s Showdown.
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History was made at Adelaide Oval on Friday night but it wasn’t the entry that goalless Port Adelaide wanted to write into the history books, Chelsea Randall leading the charge as the ruthless Crows smashed their cross-town rivals by 60 points in the inaugural AFLW Showdown.
Just over 25 years since the Power’s AFL side shocked their local rivals in the first-ever Showdown at Football Park, Matthew Clarke’s side was too experienced, too methodical, and just too good to suffer the same fate.
The well-established Crows were playing their 59th AFLW game, three of those winning grand finals, in their seventh season and Port just its sixth match, and that gulf in experience became obvious after a tense opening.
A week after Adelaide inflicted an AFLW record 96-point beatdown on GWS, the Crows had weapons all over the ground that combined in impressive fashion to keep the Power goalless for the first time.
Randall inspired with three goals and a game-high 27 possessions to claim the Showdown Medal, while Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard starred with 24 and 23 disposals.
Sarah Allan was matched up on superstar Erin Phillips when she was up forward and she kept her former teammate goalless.
Phillips finished with 14 touches to be one of her side’s best players, with Alex Ballard finishing with a team-high 18
The high-flying Crows’ fifth win in a row improved their record to 5-1, while the Power slipped to 1-4-1.
CHELSEA’S CHARGE
Phillips and Randall shared a hug before the coin toss, won by Randall, but that was the end of the niceties with the rivals going toe-to-toe in a pressure-packed opening.
The Power had been held goalless in four of five first quarters going into the match and the miserly Crows made it five opening terms without a major for Lauren Arnell’s side.
Port wasn’t without chances, Jade de Melo barely failing to gather a loose ball with no defender between her and goal and later hitting the post, but Randall had no such problems.
The fired-up skipper scooped up a loose ball deep in attack and slotted a superb goal across her body three minutes in, then passionately grabbed her beloved tri-colour guernsey after she slotted her second to put her side up by 14 points at the first break.
TURNING THE SCREWS
Adelaide appeared to have weathered the early storm as the second quarter unfolded and, but for some inaccuracy in front of goal, should have been further up than 35 points at half-time.
Hatchard continued her happy knack of hitting the scoreboard of late after marking strongly, Randall added a third and Ash Woodland bagged her ninth goal of the season as the Crows dominated the contest.
By half-time Adelaide was well on top in a host of key stats including disposals (121-79), clearances (16-5), marks inside 50 (11-1) and hitouts (15-4).
The onslaught continued in the third when Adelaide went inside attacking 50 11 times to Port’s two, with both of those forward forays coming inside the last minute of the quarter.
The Power at least mustered a shot at goal, but Ange Foley couldn’t grasp the opportunity to kick a goal against her old side, Port trailing by 50 points at the last change.
The Power had one last chance to boot a goal after the final siren, but Kate Surman’s free kick fell well short.
DOWRICK DOWN
One of the few downsides for dominant Adelaide was an injury to youngster McKenzie Dowrick midway through the third quarter.
Dowrick tussled with Amelie Borg in a marking contest until her right leg buckled under her.
She clutched at her knee in pain, was helped from the ground by trainers and took no further part in the game.
Crows captain reveals how much Showdown means
If there was one moment to sum up Showdown 1, it came midway through the opening term, when Crows captain Chelsea Randall took a set shot on goal.
Having kicked an impressive snap only minutes earlier — writing herself into SA football folklore as the first player to kick a goal in a Showdown — Randall took aim and when her shot pierced the big sticks, the three-time premiership winner raised both arms in the air, let out a bellowing scream, then lowed her left arm over her heart and pulled on her tricolour jumper: the emotion of the historic inaugural Showdown spilling out of the three-time All-Australian.
The image of Randall’s passionate emotion demonstrated not only what this game meant to Randall herself, but spoke of the fact that the fervour that’s turned the AFL Showdowns into arguably the best rivalry in Australian football, is destined to translate into the AFLW too.
Before the opening bounce, Randall had met her former co-captain, turned Power rival captain, in the centre circle for the coin toss, the former co-captains embracing in a hug, but the friendliness ended there.
Randall duly won the coin toss, and proceeded to kick the opening two goals of the game, on her way to a best-on-ground performance, winning the inaugural women’s Showdown medal.
While Port brought their trademark contest, in the end, the reigning premiers were cleaner with the ball, crisper with their plan and more composed with their touch.
The more experienced Adelaide, simply, outplayed the AFLW newcomers.
At one point the Crows midfield make up at the centre bounce saw Caitlin Gould take the ruck, followed by Ebony Marinoff, Randall and Anne Hatchard.
Coming into the Showdown, those four players had a combined AFLW game tally of 182.
So, it was always going to be a tough ask for the inaugural Port squad with Olivia Levicki (ruck) alongside Ebony O’Dea, and two Rising Star nominees Abbey Dowrick and Hannah Ewings, who had a combined game tally of 41.
Hatchard, Randall and Marinoff combined for five goals between them. Port were held goalless for the game.
In fact, the statistics painted a telling picture: Adelaide won hit-outs 29-10, clearances 33-11, contested possession 111-80, marks inside-50 18-3 and inside-50s 40-16.
A key area that Port matched it with their rivals was in the tackle count, which the Power narrowly lost 56-57.
This was to be expected with Port priding itself on its intent and hard contest all season (recording an incredible 92 tackles in their first ever game).
But there were other signs of what’s to come for Port. Take Amelie Borg – only 17, yet smothering with fearless intent in the back lines. Or Jacqui Yorston who laid the team-high tackles (8). Or teenager Ewings chasing down an opponent for holding the ball.
But in the end, Adelaide took home the first bragging rights in what will become a longstanding football rivalry.
And hopefully Adelaide will paint a mural of Randall’s goal celebration on a wall at their new headquarters one day. Because that moment should go down in history, too.
SCOREBOARD
POWER 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 (3)
CROWS 2.4 5.7 7.11 8.15 (63)
PHELAN’S BEST
Power: Ballard, Phillips, Foley, Yorston, Dunn, Boag.
Crows: Randall, Marinoff, Hatchard, Gould, Charlton, Munyard, Allan.
GOALS
Power: Nil.
Crows: Randall 3, Ballard, Woodland, Waterhouse, Marinoff, Hatchard.
INJURIES
Power: Nil.
Crows: Dowrick (knee).
VENUE
Adelaide Oval
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON PHELAN’S VOTES
3 Randall (Adel)
2 Marinoff (Adel)
1 Hatchard (Adel)
Adelaide embraces historic Showdown spirit
With all the passion, emotion and contest that football fans have come to expect, history was made at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night in the first women’s Showdown, with an old rivalry basking in a new dawn.
In the shadow of the Mark Ricciuto and Gavin Wanganeen stands – named in honour of the rival club greats who both played in the inaugural men’s Showdown back in 1997 – South Australia’s two AFLW clubs went into battle for the first time, marking a significant moment for women’s sport in the state.
With his scarf held aloft as Never Tear Us Apart echoed across the hallowed turf, Port Adelaide chairman David Koch said the game was about “much more than football”.
“Of course there is the rivalry which we love, but the AFLW Showdown represents something far bigger than football rivalry,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful celebration of women’s sport in South Australia, celebrating the pioneers and legends of sport in this State and at the same time inspiring the next generation of female athletes.
“What a wonderful occasion. It was a defining night for sport in South Australia.”
Adelaide chief executive officer, Tim Silvers, echoed Koch’s sentiments, saying the inaugural AFLW Showdown was significant in many ways.
“It adds another layer to what is already the greatest rivalry in Australian club sport and most importantly, the first of what will be many of these games marks an important step forward for equality,” he said.
“We also hope they inspire even more young girls and women to chase their football dreams, whether that’s as a player, coach, administrator or fan.
“We are so proud of our premiership-winning and history-making players and coaches, and the incredible influence they’ve had both on and off the field here in South Australia and across the country.”
With more than 22,000 tickets sold before the first bounce, it was a good 90 minutes before the first bounce when Adelaide Oval’s gates were opened and the fans started streaming in.
RANDALLLLL!
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) September 30, 2022
The skipper kicks the first-ever NAB AFLW Showdown goal ðŸ˜@cryptocom | #AFLW | #AFLWPowerCrowspic.twitter.com/EZBVXRIoy4
As the supporters took their seats, they looked out onto the oval’s grass – prepared for the first time by an all-female grounds-keeping team – to see AFLW great and Port’s inaugural captain Erin Phillips already out on the field, warming up by getting her touch on the ball right, taking marks and practising her kick on goal; a sense of occasion watching the AFLW’s most decorated player now part of another historic moment.
When Phillips’ former teammates – the reigning premiers, Adelaide – ran out onto the oval, they, too, were met with flags waving and cheers sounding out, a soundtrack to a night of celebration as much as who wins and loses.
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