Matt Turner analyses Showdown 55 between Adelaide and Port Adelaide

Adelaide has won four of their last five Showdowns against Port Adelaide. On Thursday night they identified a weakness in the Power’s game and punished them, MATT TURNER writes.

Adelaide beat Port Adelaide by 30 points. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Adelaide has found a formula to winning Showdowns.

The Crows on Thursday night made it four victories from the past five clashes against Port, including three in a row by at least 30 points, to edge clear 28-27 in the overall ledger.

Their latest triumph was built on the back of a hot start that included kicking five of the opening six goals while their defence soaked up a barrage of Power inside 50s.

Three of the Crows’ five first-quarter majors came after surging the ball from their back half with little resistance once they were able to win it back.

Clubs have identified that Port Adelaide’s aggressive approach in trying to score, press and play a front-half game can leave the Power very vulnerable defensively after turnovers.

Izak Rankine celebrates a Showdown goal. Picture: Getty Images

Ex-St Kilda star turned Fox Footy analyst Leigh Montagna raised the issue after the Power’s round 3 home loss to Melbourne.

Adelaide scored 39 points from its defensive half on Thursday night – the club’s 13th-highest amount in that statistic since the start of 2023, according to Champion Data.

The Crows’ fourth and fifth-most points from the defensive half over that period came against the Power last year (55 points in round 3 and 54 points in round 20).

Adelaide forward/midfielder Izak Rankine told this masthead being able to counter-attack quickly was part of its game plan on Thursday night.

“We know they rip through the contest pretty hard and we thought we could get them going back if we just surged and could knock it forward,” Rankine said after his side’s 30-point win.

“If we could get it to our one v ones forward of the ball, we thought we could expose them.

“We came out hot, we surged and our contest was good.”

Crows coach Matthew Nicks added: “Sometimes you’ve got to come in with a plan that you feel’s going to keep you in the game or get the result for you and tonight we did that.

“We started really well and threw the first punch, and then it was a grind.”

Jason Horne-Francis . Picture: Getty Images

Another Adelaide focus was to ensure Port’s forward 50 entries were “dirty”.

Earlier in the season the Crows were exposing their backline by not making it difficult for the opposition when they attacked, so made tweaks to ensure more of a squeeze up the ground.

While the Power dominated inside 50s 57-47 on Thursday night, its attacking entries and Port’s forwards were often under heavy pressure.

The Power was wayward (5.18) but the Crows forced their rivals to take a lot of attempts on tight angles or far from goal.

Adelaide led the contested possession count in both Showdowns last year and clearances in the second yet lost those statistics on Thursday night, so efficiency was a major factor.

“We’ve seen Adelaide and what they did most of last year,” Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

“Their efficiency in going forward at speed is a challenge for most clubs and for us tonight it was, particularly first quarter.

“You should be able to defend a little bit better because the ball is in your half a lot more but we didn’t.

“They look like they’re able to hurt us more often clearly in the last three games than we can hurt them.”

Rankine, who kicked three goals on Thursday night and had now played in two Showdowns, said of the Crows’ recent record against the Power: “I feel like we’ve got the edge of them”.

“It’s a great rivalry here in SA,” he said.

“It means a lot to us so we want to make sure we win.”

Originally published as Matt Turner analyses Showdown 55 between Adelaide and Port Adelaide