Australian Football

Match Report

Adelaide took out Showdown XXXII thanks to the brilliance of speedster Patrick Dangerfield and a career-best six goals from Taylor Walker. Dangerfield was a worthy winner of his first Showdown Medal as best afield. It was a classic encounter for three-and-a-half quarters: contested and tough with lots of memorable moments. The Crows looked to be cruising halfway through the third quarter when they led by 27 points, but the Power charged to take a three-point lead into the last quarter. Port forwards John Butcher and Justin Westhoff stepped up, kicking four goals each. Although Power fans hate losing a showdown more than anything, they would have been excited with the form of Butcher, who is yet to play 10 games, and 2011 first-round draft pick, Chad Wingard. Port coach Matthew Primus said while he was disappointed with the last quarter fadeout, he was pleased with the effort of the players. Defender Troy Chaplin, however, criticised his team’s last-quarter performance on radio, blaming his teammates' 'lack of ticker' for the defeat. The win was the Crows’ 15th over their cross-town rivals, but Port still hold the advantage overall.


GOALS:

Adelaide: Walker 6, Petrenko, Johncock 2, Thompson, Jacobs, McKernan, Tippett, Wright, Callinan

Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Butcher 4, Broadbent, Ebert 2, Jacobs, Schulz
 

BEST - AFL.COM.AU

Adelaide: Dangerfield, Sloane, Walker, Thompson, Johncock, Jacobs

Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Ebert, Chaplin, Rodan, Cornes, Boak

BEST - THE AGE
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Walker, Johncock, Thompson, Reilly, Sloane, Petrenko
Port Adelaide: J Westhoff, Cassisi J Butcher, Broadbent, Rodan 


COACHES COMMENTS
Brenton Sanderson (Adel): Port Adelaide were tough tonight; they're certainly on the right path. [It] was a great example of the spirit of the team at the moment - to be down at three-quarter time and just have that will to win.

Matthew Primus (Port): We've been building some momentum and learning from our mistakes over the last few weeks, but today was a step backwards. Every week that [sort of a loss] goes on, the belief just drops that little bit more. We as a footy club have got to show better resilience than we have over the last four or five years.

Umpires: Stewart, Nicholls, Hay