THE SHOWDOWN is a welcome “kick up the bum” for Port Adelaide according to coach Mark Williams, whose team has been (somewhat prematurely) labelled everything under the sun this week following the loss to the Swans.

Port Adelaide has played four quarters of good football in total this season and if the Power can string four together in the one game, they will be good enough to beat most sides in the league, including Adelaide.

The Power have struggled against the Crows in recent years, but the players often recall one of the club’s greatest-ever wins in round 21, 2006.

The undermanned and out of form Port Adelaide defied the odds to deliver a heavy blow to the high-flying Crows, who had their sights on the minor premiership.

Adelaide will go into Sunday’s game as favourites, but the intensity and occasion of a Showdown might just be what the Power need to kick-start 2008.

Recent form: Lost to Sydney Swans by 68 and lost to Geelong by nine.

Recent results against Adelaide:

Round 18, 2007, Adelaide 9.19 (73) d Port Adelaide 10.5 (65)
Round 3, 2007, Adelaide 13.9 (87) d Port Adelaide 8.15 (63)
Round 21, 2006, Port Adelaide 14.11 (95) d Adelaide 11.15 (81)
Round 7, 2006, Adelaide 15.13 (103) d Port Adelaide 8.5 (53)
Semi-Final, 2005, Adelaide 18.15 (123) d Port Adelaide 5.10 (40)

Strengths:

The Power’s speed and run has troubled Adelaide in the past and with the Crows focused more on attack they are prone to a leakier defence, as they showed in round one.

Shaun Burgoyne was simply brilliant with his acceleration around the clearances last week, but he needs more of his teammates such as Danyle Pearce, Travis Boak and David Rodan to put their foot down too.

Port Adelaide played some of its best football last year with the assistance of the underdog tag and the Power won’t mind the Crows being favourites on Sunday.

Potential weakness:

They practice it, they appreciate it, but for some reason the Power sometimes have trouble doing it.

It, of course, is playing contested footy and on Sunday the Swans showed up Port Adelaide big time.

AFL players don’t get much tougher than Kane Cornes, Dom Cassisi, Matt Thomas and Steven Salopek, but against the Crows every single Port Adelaide player will need to put his body on the line.

The issue is not personnel, but persistence. Last year, a feature of the Power’s game was their speed, tackling and willingness to work for each other and the players will need to rediscover these qualities if they are to claim a record 13th Showdown.

They’re sweating on:

Finding the right match-up for makeshift Crows forward Simon Goodwin.

Goodwin won the Showdown medal in round 18 last season after gathering 39 touches in the midfield and against West Coast he showed his capacity to win a game off his own boot as a forward.

Last week the defence of Alipate Carlile, Troy Chaplin, Michael Pettigrew, Toby Thurstans, Paul Stewart and Jacob Surjan was helpless to contain the Swans forwards, who were receiving deliveries lace-out thanks to a lack of up-field pressure.

West Coast coach John Worsfold persisted with Adam Selwood on Goodwin last week and paid the price with the Crows skipper kicking seven goals.

Choco will demand a better all-round defensive effort from his players this week and will also need a Chaplin, Matt Thomas or Pettigrew to mind Goodwin.

Dangermen:

Shaun Burgoyne: Burgoyne escaped the clasps of Swans tagger Brett Kirk last week to pick up 19 touches and four goals in what was, largely, a solo effort for the Power.

The All-Australian showcased his brilliant clearance capabilities while his teammates struggled to break free. Burgoyne’s standout performance all but guarantees he will receive close attention from a Crows stopper this week.

The classy midfielder picked up 23 possessions last time these two sides met and, as a vice-captain of the club, Burgoyne will again try and lead by example.

Dean Brogan: The Crows were a curse for Brogan last season with the big man suffering injuries during both Showdowns in 2007. The feisty tall rolled his ankle in round three and then, infamously, had to be helped from the ground before the first bounce of Showdown XXIII after suffering back spasms in the warm-up.

Brogan and his partner in ruck Brendon Lade will be hoping for a change in fortune on Sunday when they come up against Adelaide’s inexperienced ruck duo of Jon Griffin and Kurt Tippett.

Brogan and Lade were both among the Power’s best players in the loss to the Swans and also battled gallantly against Geelong in round one. In both games, the dynamic duo has given their onballers first look at the ball and now it’s up to the Power midfielders to better capitalise on one of the club’s greatest strengths.

Daniel Motlop: Motlop showed glimpses of his trademark defensive pressure against the Swans last week with a committed chase and tackle resulting in a Port Adelaide goal.

The Power’s ability to keep the ball inside their forward 50m arc will be pivotal against the miserly Crows defence on Sunday.

Motlop is one of the barometers in this team and his brilliance, both in his attacking and defensive actions, has the ability to spark his teammates.

It’s not generally known…

Shaun Burgoyne averages nearly two goals a game against Adelaide – his third-best return against any team in the competition.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.