Showdown 57: Crows’ “ugly” win shows two SA teams on very different paths in 2025

The Crows weren’t at their best and found a way to win. Port dominated the key statistics but couldn’t capitalise. It’s why Showdown 57 was the epitome of two teams headed in different directions.

Adelaide wasn’t near its best at all but found a way to win.

Port Adelaide had its intensity and effort back but were made to pay for too many turnovers that were its fault.

While the margin was just the five points in one of the all-time Showdowns, the fallout for the Crows and Power is a tale of two teams in very different positions at the moment.

For the Crows, it didn’t matter in the end that they were smashed in clearances (29-56) and inside 50s (41-62) by the Power – who also won the contested ball by 12.

What mattered was they were able to find a way to win.

“I think that is how you would describe it, a mature win because I don’t think we were at our best tonight in a lot of ways,” Crows wingman Isaac Cumming said.

A fierce comeback from the Power late wasn’t enough in Showdown 57. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“But to be able to grind through the arm wrestle which it was for the whole day and find a way to win was mature.”

Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nicks was more definitive.

“These are often called ugly wins, we had enough tonight where we played some solid footy but from a midfield point it wasn’t our best,” he said,

“We came in to pick up four points and we did it, I don’t care how we did it.

“Yeah and there is still some work to do but it is part of our growth and a really pleasing one that we are able to hold on.

“In previous years we don’t hold on and with a bit of bad luck tonight we don’t again.

“So we are going to dig deep and look at it because we have to be better than that at the end but the 10 minute patch gets it done for us.”

In that 10 minute patch in the fourth quarter Nicks referred to, the Crows kicked three goals through Darcy Fogarty and two to Izak Rankine after taking a two-point lead into the final term.

“There are just key moments in games that you have to get done,” Nicks said.

That Rankine had a big say on the match in the final term also summed up the Crows ability to find a way to win given he was largely unsighted for the first three quarters.

He wasn’t the only key Crow who had a quiet night on Saturday with Port’s ploy of Miles Bergman to quell Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson working.

“I think it was just a solid team win, it is nice when those guys are firing but you can’t do that 23 plus games of the year,” Cumming said.

“It is nice to know that when our stars aren’t performing we have good team support around them to get the win.”

You couldn’t say Port found a way to lose the clash, but especially with its superiority in key areas the Power did shoot itself in the foot with turnovers.

The Power ended up with 71 to the Crows 56, and it was the location of many of these that hurt Ken Hinkley’s side – especially when trying to bring the ball out of defence with Adelaide all too ready to make them pay.

“The real simple answer is that it is the turnover bit that they beat us in, it was probably the only thing that they beat us in, in the game,” Hinkley said.

“I think we gave up a few too many that were our fault.”

Power vice-captain Zak Butters said it was an area that hurt the team.

Izak Rankine steals the show in the final quarter

“I think a few turnovers and them slingshotting back the other way. That is a big part of their game and they want to get the ball and move it and they have a pretty efficient forward line,” he said.

“We sort of played into their hands a bit with the turnovers but I think we got some of our other parts of our game looking better.

“It is a pretty contested game but it is not so much about the turnovers, it is the metres you give up and what you are going to give up from them.

“Yeah you are going to give some away but you have to be able to defend in behind them and we struggled with that.”

The Crows’ win not only has them ahead in the Showdown ledger, 29-28, but now are two wins ahead of the Power on the ladder and are well entrenched in the finals race at 6-3.

It means things are looking positive for Nicks side.

Mark Keane takes the match-saving mark

“We are exactly where we’d like to be from our performance wise, not necessarily win/loss,” Nicks said.

“We have spoken about what performances we have wanted as a ground level of what we expect.

“Our bad losses this year have been a three goal loss to Fremantle in Perth and also to Geelong.

“It wasn’t our best performance by any means but we come away with a win so really pleased with where we are at.”

Port now sit at 4-5, a win off the eight but with a percentage of 88.6.

Hinkley’s side are in a scrap, and he knows it.

Port are now well and truly in a scrap to play finals in 2025. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

It has gone on big winning runs before, but right now the gap between its good and not so good is too wide and is being shown too often.

“You are always in a scrap in this comp,” Hinkley said.

“I think we have shown in patches that our best is really good and I think that is the reality, but we haven’t done that for long enough.

“We have had moments, quarters, halves where we have been really damaging and I think teams would give us a lot of respect when they come up against us because we are capable but unless you consistently do it for three or four quarters you aren’t going on any run.

“And we just have to go about winning the very next week (against Geelong) we have got because that is a big game for us.”

It’s a tale of two teams that have very different storylines right now.

Originally published as Showdown 57: Crows’ “ugly” win shows two SA teams on very different paths in 2025