Graham Cornes: Showdown wasn’t supposed to end like that

Friday night’s Showdown was supposed to be about Power reasserting its dominance, but the plucky Crows hadn’t read the script, writes Graham Cornes.

IT wasn’t supposed to end like that. Obviously Matthew Nicks and his players didn’t read the script. Because, as the script read there was supposed to be something for everyone in Friday night’s Showdown. Port would get the win that they so desperately needed, and the young, plucky Crows would give us an optimistic glimpse of the future. Indeed, that was how it was playing out. Port was the dominant team for most of the night but there were periods of time throughout the game when the Crows’ urgency unsettled Port Adelaide.

Of course that’s the aim of the underdog – to bring relentless pressure to the contest with the intent of creating doubt in the “superior” opponent’s mind. And that’s exactly what the Crows did but, according to the script, they would never be able to sustain it. However, they simply would not go away and lie down. The Crows kept coming, even when the game looked beyond their reach.

But the game was never beyond their reach. A three-goal lead with 10 minutes to play is never enough, and as they slowly pegged it back, in Port’s coach’s box Ken Hinkley’s fingers started drumming the desk with anxiety. He could see the train wreck coming. When his most experienced player, the redoubtable, courageous Travis Boak missed the goal that would definitely have sealed the game, he did what most coaches would do – he sent his forwards into defence – behind the ball. It sounded fine in theory but it was a fatal error.

The Power after their loss during the 2022 AFL round 3 match to the Crows at Adelaide Oval on April 1, 2022. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Sam Mayes is not a regular, first-picked player for Port Adelaide. Still on Port’s rookie list, he had only played 17 games in the past two seasons. But he has always done the job for his coach by applying forward line pressure and bobbing up with important goals at the most unlikely time. And that’s how it was playing out on Friday night. He kicked two goals and was an important player in Port’s forward line which for the first time this season was functioning well. But Mayes was one of the forward line players that Ken Hinkley sent into the defence. The tactic is supposed to deprive the opponents of time and space, but this time it failed miserably.

Mayes’ brain-fade and unnecessary attack to the body of Crows’ forward Lachie Murphy was crude and ill-disciplined. Perhaps it can be explained away by the pressure of the moment and the desperation – panic even – that the situation creates, but there can be no excuse. Murphy did not have the ball and the free kick could not be questioned – unlike the ridiculous, unwarranted 50m penalties and intentional out of bounds decisions that blighted the umpiring performances on the night. But Murphy was injured in the tackle and it looked like couldn’t take the free kick that he had earned, so it fell to Jordan Dawson.

Enter Jordan Dawson. A smart player and the best kick in the team, Dawson had maneuvered himself into a position where he could take the free kick when Murphy couldn’t.

Harry Schoenberg of the Crows and Brodie Smith and James Rowe with fans after the win on Friday night. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Darren Jarman aside, Jordan Dawson may very well be the best recruit the Crows have ever had. He returned from Sydney with a big reputation and high expectations. He has lived up to those expectations and looks like he will be a vital player in any Crows resurgence. He has one of football’s great weapons – a raking left foot kick. It was no easy shot for goal - 45ms and on an angle not suited for a left footer – but even though it started right it never looked like missing as it swung back through the goals. Crows by four points. It’s the most exciting way to win a match and the most devastating way to lose.

So the Crows gave us that optimistic look at the future and the bonus of a win. Josh Rachelle in the midfield and on the ball; Lachie Gollant as the much sought after mid-sized forward; Billy Frampton, despite his coach’s reservations, an ominous presence in defence; Lachie Scholl on the wing. Still in reserve is Riley Thilthorpe. Plus they gave long-suffering supporters much needed bragging rights over the Port fans who have had it their own way for too long.

For Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley, the nightmare start for 2022 continues. It will be hard to recover from a 0-3 start to the season but not impossible. Ken Hinkley will feel the pressure but a strong club will stand behind him, for the momentum will surely turn. There was so much for him to like about Friday night but poor kicking continues to hurt. Todd Marshall looked better in attack but he’s not a ruckman and he is not Charlie Dixon. In defence they are badly missing Aliir Aliir and Tom Clurey. Sam Skinner has not settled in and Trent McKenzie who was so good last season and almost saved the game with a courageous mark looks like he is playing injured. The mid-field is brittle, even though Ollie Wines, Travis Boak and Sam Powell-Pepper, who attacks every ball with murderous intent, have been competitive. If only their disposal was elite.

The script was not written to predict an exciting, pulsating contest with multiple swings in momentum and a Crows kick after the siren to win the game. But sometimes it pays to go off-script. Those of us lucky to be back at Adelaide Oval witnessed the game of the year