No Friday night nor Thursday night Showdowns as the derby stays as a Saturday clash for Crows and Port Adelaide
AFTER all the forecasts of a Friday night - and even a Thursday night - Showdown, the Crows and Power derbies are to fall on Saturday in 2019 following the release of the AFL fixture. See the highlights of each club’s fixtures here.
SHOWDOWNS on Saturday - not Friday night nor the new Thursday night timeslot.
This is how the Crows-Port Adelaide derbies have fallen in the 2019 AFL fixture.
Port Adelaide will host the first Showdown of the new season - in the Saturday night timeslot that is most favoured by Power fans - on May 11 in Round 8.
Adelaide will have home rights in the second derby, also on a Saturday but in the twilight time slot of late afternoon on July 6 in Round 16.
Port Adelaide and the Crows feature in the premier Friday Night Football timeslot six times - each three times.
Adelaide plays Sydney at the SCG in Round 2 on Friday, March 29, Geelong at Kardinia Park in Round 15 on June 28 and Essendon at Adelaide Oval in Round 18 on July 19.
Port Adelaide plays West Coast in Perth on Good Friday on April 19, then hosts North Melbourne in the Anzac Round on April 26 and faces Collingwood at the Docklands in Round 7 on May 3.
Key notes in the home-and-away fixture for each of the SA-based AFL clubs are:
CROWS
START against Hawthorn, with 2013 Port Adelaide club champion Chad Wingard in his first game as a Hawk, at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, March 23.
HOST AFL premier West Coast in the AFL indigenous round in Round 10 with a Saturday twilight game on May 25.
PLAY the big-drawing Victorian-based AFL clubs in five blockbuster games at Adelaide Oval - Hawthorn in the season-opener, Geelong (Round 3), Richmond (Round 13), Essendon (Round 18) and Collingwood (Round 22).
TAKE part in two Thursday night games - against Geelong at Adelaide Oval on April 4 and then Richmond, also at Adelaide Oval, on June 13.
FINISH against the Western Bulldogs at Ballarat.
DOUBLE-UP games against Port Adelaide, Gold Coast, St Kilda, West Coast and Geelong.
TEN away games at nine venues with a repeat visit to just one ground - the Docklands Marvel Stadium.
Crows chief executive Andrew Fagan’s review of the fixture: “Given we are hosting some of the big Victorian clubs which traditionally attract big crowds, I would anticipate the sold-out sign going up at Adelaide Oval quite a few times next year.
“We have Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at home, as well as a handful of twilight games on Saturday and Sunday, which means the atmosphere should be fantastic too.”
POWER
START against Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, March 23 in a throwback to coach Ken Hinkley’s first game as an AFL coach in 2013.
OPEN its Adelaide Oval campaign with a Saturday late afternoon clash with AFL wooden spooner Carlton on Saturday, March 30.
HOST North Melbourne - with Jared Polec and Jasper Pittard now in the Kangaroos camp - in the Anzac Round with a Friday night game at Adelaide Oval on April 26.
PLAY AFL premiers West Coast in the Good Friday double-header with the clash at Perth Stadium on April 19.
NEW opponent and new date in China - St Kilda on Sunday June 2.
JUST one clash with 2013 Port Adelaide club champion Chad Wingard in his new guernsey at Hawthorn - but the match-up will be at Launceston rather the Adelaide Oval.
FINISH at Adelaide Oval for the third consecutive home-and-away season - this time against Fremantle.
DOUBLE-UP games against Richmond, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Brisbane.
AWAY games in Melbourne (five times), Perth (twice), Brisbane, Hobart and Shanghai.
Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas has put the “exciting label” on the Power’s fixture, particularly the run of three consecutive appearances on Friday Night Football.
“The Port Adelaide community has a very exciting journey ahead of it in 2019,” Thomas said.
“To play three consecutive Friday night blockbuster games, including the historic Good Friday night game against West Coast in Perth, is a great opportunity to shine a light on our club and our commercial partners.
“We are excited to be playing the majority of our 11 home games in the Saturday twilight or Saturday night timeslot. More than half of our home games are in these timeslots and all our member feedback and attendance figures from the previous five years indicates these fixtures are by far the most popular with our members and supporters.
“Hosting our local rivals, the Crows, in a Saturday night Showdown in Round 8 will no doubt be another great spectacle as well and I’m sure all Port Adelaide members and supporters are highlighting that game in their calendars already.
“As we said at last week’s announcement, our Shanghai game in June next year against St Kilda will continue to be a game changer for Port Adelaide and the AFL and to have the opportunity to underpin our China engagement strategy with a three-year commitment is most pleasing.
“From a home game perspective there are many standouts for our members and supporters including hosting North Melbourne on the Friday night of Anzac Round. We are very grateful to the AFL for our club to again be granted hosting rights of this game in Adelaide and it is an enormous privilege and one that we will never take for granted.
“In honour of the occasion the Peter Badcoe VC Medal will again be presented to the player that best exemplifies the Anzac spirit.”