Prickly Port Adelaide team photo is elite-level trolling

Port Adelaide has given Eddie McGuire a middle-finger in an extraordinary team photo that has ignited one of footy’s most petty feuds.

Port Adelaide celebrate their Showdown victory in the change rooms whilst wearing their prison bar guernseys. Picture Mark Piovesan Photography

You can only imagine Eddie McGuire’s knee-jerk response.

Port Adelaide produced an act of elite-level trolling on Saturday night, going to extraordinary lengths to stick it to Collingwood and their former president, McGuire.

The Power enjoyed a sweet victory in the Showdown against the Crows at the Adelaide Oval, but the real satisfaction came in the dressing rooms after the game when the club changed their jumpers to the club’s controversial “prison bars” guernsey.

The club’s back and white heritage jumper has been at the centre of one of football’s most petty feuds in recent weeks with president David Koch and McGuire exchanging heated words in public.

Collingwood has officially defended its stance of lobbying the AFL to ban Port Adelaide from using a similar black and white stripes jumper to their own.

Port Adelaide have had the last laugh.

Port Adelaide used a similar jumper playing in the SANFL as the Magpies, before entering the AFL as the Power more than 20 years ago. Despite Port Adelaide lobbying the AFL to be allowed to wear the jumper during the club’s two annual grudge matches against the Crows, the league ultimately ruled the club was not allowed to wear its black and white strip.

The dispute has reached new depths after Power players changed their jumpers before walking into the dressing room on Saturday night to sing the team song.

The players huddled together to belt out their song and captured a team photo in the sheds as a pointed slap at the AFL and Collingwood.

The photo was not well received by Collingwood great Dane Swan.

The Brownlow medallist posted on Twitter: “Please don’t tell me that they put this on after the game? If so this may be the most cringeworthy thing I’ve seen at AFL level.

“Absolutely no way it was a player driven idea and FYI I have no problem with ‘em wearing it in a game so save that retort please.”

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said it was a landmark moment for his club.

The Power looked different leaving the field.

“It‘s a show of respect for our heritage, for our past and for our great people who played in it in our past and for our people who turn up and represent this footy club. We started and we began as Port Adelaide and we still are,” Hinkley said after the game.

“Part of that journey is this amazing jumper which the boys love and the club loves and every one of the people who support this footy club love it. We had to wait until after the game but we‘ll recognise it as often as we have to.”

Port Adelaide at its cheeky best.

Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown called the photo a “big statement” and “astonishing”.

Port Adelaide even had the cheek to post about the jumper on its official Twitter account.

“Just when you thought a Showdown win couldn’t get any better...,” it captioned a photo of the team in black and white.

The club also wrote: “Heritage matters”.

Earlier, the Power thumped the Crows by 49-points.

The superior efficiency of the Power proved decisive and they always appeared to have the injury-hit Crows at arm’s length for a third consecutive Showdown victory.

It was a terrific response to the poor effort in Brisbane last week, while the Crows have now lost their past four games.

Port Adelaide vs Adelaide match details

POWER 2.4 4.6 9.10 12.15 (87)

CROWS 1.0 1.4 4.5 5.8 (38)

BEST - Power: Boak, Clurey, Amon, Drew, Aliir, Lycett, Byrne-Jones. Crows: Laird, Seedsman, Keays, Sloane, Brown, Rowe.

GOALS - Power: Marshall 3, Georgiadis, Dixon 2, Motlop, Fantasia, Rozee, Farrell, Drew. Crows: Thilthorpe 2, Sloane, Rowe, Fogarty.

INJURIES - Power: Houston (shoulder). Crows: McHenry (concussion), Murphy (ankle), Sloane (head cut).

UMPIRES - O’Gorman, Brown, Mollison.

VENUE Adelaide Oval

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

PARTLAND VOTES

3 Travis Boak (Power)

2 Tom Clurey (Power)

1 Karl Amon (Power)