AFL Toyota Premiership 2011

Match 1: Rd 4, 1997, AAMI Stadium
Port Adelaide 11.17 (83) d Adelaide 11.6 (72)

Everyone remembers their first. The AFL birth of Port Adelaide, a club revered for decades in the SANFL competition, initiated a cross-town rivalry that today boasts a series of fierce encounters. Port had won one of its first three games in the big league while Adelaide was finding its way under new coach Malcolm Blight.

Half of the side fielded by Adelaide would become premiership players later in the year – Tyson Edwards and Andrew McLeod among them – while the Power's current day favourites Peter Burgoyne and Brendon Lade joined a string of recycled teammates and then some.

More than 47,000 patrons saw Port Adelaide lead at every change – by 33 points at three-quarter time – and a six-goal last term failed to pull Adelaide over the line. Glam forward Tony Modra kicked seven of the Crows' 11 goals while Scott Cummings booted four for the Power.

Match 2: Rd 5, 2002, AAMI Stadium
Port Adelaide 14.6 (90) d Adelaide 12.10 (82)

The Power got the result but who won the punch-on? Led by Simon Goodwin and Mark Bickley, Adelaide cantered to a 19-point quarter-time lead and held its advantage until early in the fourth term. But in a dogged contest with few standout performers, Adam Kingsley, Jarrad Schofield and Chad Cornes (three goals) somehow steered the Power over the line before the Crows knew what had hit them.

It didn't end there. Coincidence or pre-meditated, both camps visited Ramsgate Hotel the next night and word had it Mark Ricciuto and Josh Carr took particular exception to the other's presence. Hotel staff and patrons became spectators as teammates moved in to support or separate each other and, in the days after the fracas, the clubs were forced to haul in and discipline those involved.

Match 3: Rd 3, 2008, AAMI Stadium
Adelaide 12.13 (85) d Port Adelaide 11.13 (79)

Count the bruises, Crows. Count the score, Power. Stinging comments were made by former player Josh Francou after Port's heavy loss to the Sydney Swans a week earlier and it was always going to enter this match the aggressor.

Heavy collisions saw Nathan Bassett (concussion), Jason Porplyzia (shoulder), Luke Jericho and Bernie Vince helped from the ground as tempers threatened to boil over. A first-half hamstring injury to Kris Massie also left Adelaide short, but Porplyzia, Jericho and Vince returned to play out the game after the Crows had slipped two goals behind in the second term.

Showdown Medallist Vince's 24 touches and two goals in just his 12th match had the most damaging influence – overshadowing Chad Cornes' 34 touches and two goals for the Power. Most significantly, Port Adelaide was left winless to start the season and was hit-and-miss from then on: sitting out September after 2007's grand final appearance.