Neil Craig has outwitted Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams since taking over the helm at West Lakes partway through 2004, guiding his side to victory in six of the past eight Showdowns.
Crows fans will be confident heading into Sunday’s game, but 12 years of Showdowns have taught to expect the unexpected.
Andrew McLeod suffered suspected food poisoning earlier in the week, but is a certain starter against Port Adelaide. Tagger Rob Shirley could be considered at the selection table, but the Crows will be keen to establish some consistency in the playing group and might opt to go in unchanged.
Adelaide’s recent form:
Beat West Coast by 76 and lost to Western Bulldogs by 3.
Recent form against Port 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:
Adelaide found a near-perfect balance of attack and defence last week, scoring its highest score over a year while restricting West Coast to its lowest score in 12 months.
The Crows' defensive pressure was fierce and could trouble a Port Adelaide side that, last week, was labelled ‘soft’ after it struggled against the Swans’ physical presence.
Potential weakness:
Last week it was Dean Cox who loomed as a threat for young ruckmen Jon Griffin and Kurt Tippett and this week it’s Port Adelaide’s dynamic duo of Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan.
On Sunday, midfielder Bernie Vince revealed the Crows had made a pact to hunt the ball off Cox’s hands and also to pressure the ball carrier into tough or incorrect disposal.
Griffin is a genuine tall talent and will benefit from the experience of playing on another of the league’s best ruckmen in Lade. However, Vince and company will need to recognise Lade’s ruck capabilities and prevent clearance specialist Shaun Burgoyne from getting first touch.
They’re sweating on…
Port Adelaide did not make the 2007 Grand Final by fluke - as much as Crows fans might like to think so. The Power are a very capable, high-scoring team with numerous players who can be damaging if allowed time and space to move in.
Adelaide will be confident heading into Showdown XXIV, but the players will need to be wary of a scorned Port Adelaide team coming off an embarrassing 10-goal loss.
History suggests that form means little heading into a Showdown, as the undermanned Crows proved in round 18 last year.
Dangermen:
Simon Goodwin: Goodwin claimed the Showdown medal and destroyed Port Adelaide when these two sides met in round 18 with the skipper gathering 39 possessions, seven clearances and a goal.
The All-Australian midfielder was in superb touch up forward last week, booting seven majors and jumping to second in the league leaders behind Hawk Lance Franklin.
Power tagger Kane Cornes would usually get the job on the Adelaide match-winner, but if Goody again plays as a key forward he could provide a headache for Troy Chaplin or Michael Pettigrew.
Scott Thompson: Thompson could find himself shadowed by Kane Cornes on Sunday afternoon. The relentless onballer gathered 25 possessions, six clearances and a goal as the Crows reigned supreme over West Coast last week.
Thompson is a vital cog in an Adelaide midfield minus Brent Reilly and Chris Knights and the tough 25-year-old loves the tight, hard contests that Showdowns inevitably provide.
Graham Johncock: Johncock and Andrew McLeod were the keys behind Adelaide’s fast start last week with the pair combining for 21 touches in the first quarter. Johncock went on to amass 24 possessions in a classy display across half-back.
The rebounding defender was injured or underdone when these sides crossed paths last season and Johncock will be looking to continue his form opposed to one of the Power’s clever small forwards.
It’s not generally known…
Last week’s seven-goal haul moved Simon Goodwin into ninth place on the club’s all-time leading goalkickers list.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
