Port Adelaide goes to China with need to avoid a Showdown hangover

PORT Adelaide has finally broken the derby hoodoo, but can it avoid a “letdown after the Showdown” by winning in China?

Steven Motlop kicks the winning goal in Showdown 44. Picture SARAH REED

PORT Adelaide will set up camp in Shanghai this afternoon with its biggest challenge - avoiding a letdown after a Showdown - following the Power to China.

Port Adelaide has broken its longest derby drought - five losses across 1105 days - with the five-point win against Adelaide in Showdown 44 at Adelaide Oval on Saturday. But it has been more than five years since the Power followed up a derby win with victory the week after.

The last time Port Adelaide won after a Showdown was in April 2013 - following up a hard-fought nine-point win against the Crows at Football Park with a 38-point win on the road against Gold Coast, the same opponents Ken Hinkley’s team faces in Shanghai on Saturday.

Robbie Gray celebrates his goal in the third quarter. Picture: SARAH REED

“It goes without saying,” Hinkley said of the need to return from China with four AFL premiership points on top of new commercial deals with Chinese backers.

“We have a way that we know works - and (showing that game consistently, match after match) is the key for us.”

Port Adelaide has twice in the past five years failed to back-up a Showdown victory. It lost to West Coast by 10 points at Adelaide Oval after beating the Crows in Showdown 38 in May 2015 - and to North Melbourne by seven points in Melbourne after winning Showdown 36 in April 2014.

The tight losses to the Eagles and Kangaroos after the emotionally and physically draining Showdown wins against the Crows are a significant pointer to the football agenda the Power takes to Shanghai this week.

And it goes well beyond the Showdown considering the theme of Port Adelaide’s season so far has been erratic form with a new issue emerging to correct after every game this year.

Port Adelaide last night took all 22 of its Showdown heroes to Shanghai and added four players to the travelling squad - one more than last season.

The four added to the Showdown squad are Karl Amon and recent Melbourne recruits Jack Trengove and Dom Barry and former Gold Coast defender Trent McKenzie. Not considered in this group was young forward Todd Marshall, who returned to Adelaide at the weekend after the funeral of his father.

Power football chief Chris Davies underlined the search for Port Adelaide’s best game style is over - but the need to show that game consistently remains.

“That’s the challenge (after a Showdown win),” Davies said. “We have to make sure we do move on (from the derby).

“Despite the fact that the Showdown is worth more than four points in the public eye, the reality is you only get four premiership points for winning the game. Our challenge now is to play in a way that befits the way Ken wants the club to go about things.

“We will see this week if we can rise to that challenge.

“That is the challenge for the coaches this week - and certainly the players. They are to approach the game in a manner that befits what we want to do this season.

“The second half on the weekend for us was a pretty significant change to the performances we have put out (in seven earlier games this season). If we want to continue to be good for the remainder of this year, we need to make that the benchmark rather than the once-off.”

Port Adelaide arrives in Shanghai with the same plans in place from last year when it beat the Suns by 72 points in the first AFL game played for premiership points outside Australia and New Zealand.

“We did a pretty good job last year in terms of the preparation,” Davies said. “We’re pretty keen to get over there and follow the method we went through last year.”

The Power group will train on Wednesday and Friday and play on Saturday afternoon.