HIS LEFT eye was closing over, but good luck wiping the grin from Sam Jacobs' face on Sunday night, with Adelaide's three-point win over the Power strengthening his belief the Crows are September-bound. 

Jacobs copped a stray finger in the eye from Matthew Lobbe in the final term of Showdown XXXIX – for which the Port ruckman apologised for after the game. 

The win pushed the Crows into the top eight and showcased their best, particularly early in the game, when their pressure at the ball carrier was crippling and their accuracy in front of goal exceptional. 

With his 51 hit-outs and 17 possessions, Jacobs led a midfield engine at full power. Scott Thompson won 36 possessions and Patrick Dangerfield 27 – between them they had 26 clearances. 

Speaking to AFL.com.au after the match, Jacobs said the players were desperate to appear in a final for the first time since the 2012 preliminary final loss to Hawthorn. 

"I guess it's 'Why not us?' sort of thing, it's right there," Jacobs said. 

"The last couple of years we haven't been able to get the job done and now we're in the same position again so you'd like to think as a footy club we're growing. 

"Growing means playing finals footy." 

It's difficult to overrate Jacobs' performance on Sunday. 

He was unlucky to depart Adelaide Oval without the Phillip Walsh Medal, which left in Thompson's bag. 

Thompson was sensational, but Jacobs' work made the going easier on the ground. 

The 27-year-old wanted to respond after being convincingly beaten by West Coast big man Nic Naitanui, albeit under trying circumstances, last week. 

Respond he did – it was Jacobs at his competition-leading best. 

"Nic Nat gave me a lesson last week and even though the game was a bit of a blur I'll put my hand up and say he was too good for me," he said. 

"I was back on top of my game, I feel like I'm having a pretty consistent year – it's been a tough couple of weeks, but it's good to get back to it. 

"I'm really happy to put a really good performance together against two quality players." 

Jacobs was ecstatic the Crows were able to play Phil Walsh's brand of footy as "a final salute" to their late coach, as Power CEO Keith Thomas termed it.

The win and the excited celebrations seen as the final siren sounded made the Showdown a career highlight for Jacobs – right up there with the Crows' 10-point win over Fremantle in the second semi-final of 2012. 

"Put finals aside, that's definitely the best win I've played in – it even challenges that sort of stuff but I guess that's the reason we play footy," he said. 

"We really wanted to play the way Walshy's been teaching us the last month and I think we did that. 

"As he would say, we just got the job done." 

Adelaide takes on Gold Coast next Saturday afternoon at Adelaide Oval.