Robbie Gray legacy up in lights with five memorable moments with his beloved Port Adelaide

Can champagne Robbie Gray uncork another performance good enough to push Port Adelaide into their first premiership play-off for 13 years? Five jaw-dropping moments say he can.

Port Adelaide has always turned to Robbie Gray when in need of some magic.

He is ‘Mr Showdown’, with five medals from matches against fierce rivals Adelaide, a modern day great for Port Adelaide.

So what can we expect from Power star Robbie Gray as Ken Hinkley’s side looks to navigate next week’s preliminary final and secure a Grand Final spot?

He’s already had one champagne moment in 2020, but could Gray again be the match-deciding difference for the Power as he has done on so many occasions in the past.

Here’s just five examples when the four-time All Australian and three-time John Cahill medallist has made the difference for the Power in his sensational career.

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ROBBIE’S GRAY-TEST MOMENTS FOR THE POWER

Round 7 2020 v Carlton: 1 goal, 16 disposals, 4 marks

Let’s start with the most recent.

By his own lofty standards Gray had not done a lot in the first six games of 2020, and even in this game wasn’t dominant.

But there’s a reason why Gray is such a superstar and he showed it with an ice-cool kick from the pocket with a drop punt most players in the competition could only dream of kicking after the siren to win the Power a game they looked to have somehow thrown away.

“He’s just been such a great player for us as a footy club and me as a coach, you never

underestimate what the champs of the game will do, and normally the bigger the moment the bigger they get,” Hinkley after the match.

Robbie Gray has been the difference between winning and losing on many occasions.

Round 8 2018 v Adelaide: 5 goals, 20 disposals, 5 marks

Steven Motlop kicked the game-winner with 21 seconds to go in one of the most thrilling Showdown’s ever, but it was Gray who was the difference and then some between the Power and Crows in an enthralling contest.

Eight months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer Gray booted six goals, five in the third quarter, to drag Port Adelaide back into the match after going 27-points down in the second in one of the great Showdown performances.

The five goals in the third quarter came in 24 amazing minutes by Gray as the Power roared back to life against their fierce rivals.

The other major wasn’t bad either, coming just before halftime to cut the Crows lead to 21 at the main break.

Charlie Dixon gives Gray a hug after a game at the Gabba this year.

Gray celebrates kicking the winning goal against Carlton in Round 7.

Round 9 2017 v St Kilda: 1 goal, 27 disposals, 5 marks

Paddy Ryder set it up with an amazing bit of tap work in the ruck, but who better to be on the receiving end of it and streaming into the 50m arc to kick the winner with just seconds to go?

After sneaking a gap on Seb Ross Gray gathers Ryder’s tap over his head on the run, making it look like a training drill, and away he goes.

The kick clears the Saints defence on the goal line by millimetres to seal a thrilling victory for the Power.

Hinkley described it as a moment that could “make a season” and it ended up sparking a run of four wins in the Power’s last five games that led Port Adelaide to finals - the last time the club featured in the top eight until this year.

Semi-final 2014 v Fremantle: 4 goals, 21 disposals, 2 marks

Down 31-points during the first half in the first semi-final Port Adelaide needed a spark and Gray delivered.

After falling to that margin in the very last minute of the second term, against an extremely organised Ross Lyon outfit, it looked bleak for Hinkley’s side in Perth.

Enter Gray.

From 47 seconds in to the 32nd minute Gray kicked four goals in the third quarter as Port turned that 31-point deficit into a lead during the vital period.

It was one of the Power’s greatest comebacks and Gray was front and centre of it.

Gray is a four-time All Australian and three-time John Cahill medallist.

Round 6 2010 v Adelaide: 5 goals, 20 disposals, 5 marks

The first of Gray’s five Showdown Medals, a game that truly showed the star that Gray would become.

Despite Port’s struggles approaching 2010 Gray had played some outstanding footy in 2009 especially - kicking 30 goals and recording 23 goal assists.

Against the fierce rivals finished with five goals, five marks and 20 disposals as Port Adelaide turned around trailing at the end of the first three quarters to win by 23-points.

His best of the day was when he slotted one from inside 50, pressed up against the boundary, after receiving a free kick following an out of bounds on the full by the Crows.

Originally published as Robbie Gray legacy up in lights with five memorable moments with his beloved Port Adelaide