Daniel Curtin, Riley Thilthorpe, Josh Rachele and Ben Keays celebrate a goal during the match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in round eight, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

THE SHOWDOWN has delivered once again.

With 10 seconds left, Crows wingman Brayden Cook etched himself in Showdown folklore by delivering the dagger to clinch a one-point victory over Port Adelaide in front of 53,045 fans at Adelaide Oval.

CROWS v POWER Full match coverage and stats

Trailing by as much as 21 points early in the final term after leading for much of the game prior, Joe Berry's snap appeared to hand Port Adelaide bragging rights.

However, as has become a theme in Showdowns, this match was far from over and went down to almost the last kick of the contest.

05:34

Last two mins: Cook's clutch kick steals Showdown at the death

The thrilling final moments between Adelaide and Port Adelaide in round eight

Yet for all the late-game heroics, it was a first half riddled with fumbles and turnovers, perhaps indicative of the pressure and intensity which comes with a Showdown, but certainly not a reflection of the pristine conditions at ground level.

With the game crying out for a moment of brilliance in the second term, Josh Rachele got one to roll through to level the scores after missing two prior chances, gettable by his standards.

His partner in crime, Izak Rankine, threatened to do similar when he streamed through the middle towards goal, only to be stopped and called for running too far.

A chorus of boos rang out and they only intensified when Power star Zak Butters won a free-kick for a push and nailed a classy goal to give Port the lead at half-time.

01:33

Chorus of boos drowns out Adelaide Oval after huge moments

Zak Butters is awarded a contentious free kick and salutes late in the half after Izak Rankine is penalised for running too far

Georgiades (three goals, six marks) clearly looked the most threatening forward on the ground, with his speed and crafty leading patterns causing headaches for direct opponent Jordon Butts.

The momentum appeared to be Adelaide's when Toby Murray's back-to-back goals gave the Crows the momentum as they raced toward what looked like becoming a comfortable victory.

First he threaded the needle from 'Eddie's pocket', not bad for his first goal in senior football, then he converted another set shot two minutes later to give Adelaide the momentum in the shadows of three-quarter time.

00:57

Murray magic: Young Crow stands up on biggest stage

Third-gamer Toby Murray boots his first AFL goal with a boundary beauty before popping up again to impact for Adelaide

But comfort is a feeling rarely felt in these games and Port Adelaide hit back with four goals in a row.

Brilliant again in defence, Wayne Milera (29 disposals, six marks) nearly booted the game-winner, but his stirring goal was ruled a non-goal after Rachele was deemed to have pushed Logan Evans on the goal line.

Relentless in his hunt for both the ball and the opposition, Sam Berry stood out with 29 disposals and 19 tackles en route to collecting the Showdown Medal.

02:24

Berry sweet: Sam receives Showdown honours in prolific outing

Sam Berry is judged best afield in Showdown 59 after collecting 29 disposals and 19 tackles in a gritty performance

Crows smalls stand tall 
With Crows veteran Taylor Walker ruled out for the game in the first term with a hamstring injury and Riley Thilthorpe battling to assert himself in the air, it was the smalls who carried the scoring. Ben Keays recaptured some form by nailing three crucial goals, Rachele snuck two home and Pedlar and Rankine added one each when they were needed the most. 

00:50

'It's Izak time!': Rankine steps up in massive moment

Izak Rankine finishes his own work from the clearance to kick a ripping major on the run

Aliir in the air, Berry in the trenches 
Aliir Aliir and Sam Berry came close to toppling two AFL records in Showdown 59. Aliir won his heavyweight match-up against Riley Thilthorpe and peeled off brilliantly all game to finish with a staggering eight intercept marks - just two shy of the record. Meanwhile, Berry cracked in from start-to-finish and his 19 tackles came within one of the record set by teammate Rory Laird in 2022. 

Toby Murray makes his mark 
After struggling last weekend against the Lions, Toby Murray hit back in style on South Australia's biggest stage. The young forward started the game well by hauling in five marks in the first term. You could feel the confidence building with each grab as he out-maneuvered the Power defenders in pursuit of front position. But it was his two inspirational goals late in the third term which gave the Crows a real boost heading into the last change. 

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS

ADELAIDE              1.2   3.4   8.9   11.10 (76)
PORT ADELAIDE    3.2   4.4   7.7   11.9 (75)

GOALS
Adelaide: Keays 3, Rachele 2, Murray 2, Cook, Pedlar, Rankine, Thilthorpe
Port Adelaide: Georgiades 3, Berry 2, Durdin 2, Butters, Visentini, Whitlock, Wines

BEST
Adelaide: Milera, Berry, Rachele, Murray, Rankine, Cook, Peatling
Port Adelaide: Aliir, Georgiades, Horne-Francis, Butters, Bergman, Wines

INJURIES
Adelaide: Walker (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Adelaide: Nil
Port Adelaide: Nil

Crowd: 53,045 at Adelaide Oval