The South Australian Brewing Company, makers of West End beers, were the first sponsors of the game and decided that the "Showdown" would be an appropriate name as a promotional opportunity for games between these two clubs, since it was the first time two South Australian teams had played against each other in the AFL.[1]
The rivalry between Adelaide and Port Adelaide is often considered the best, and most bitter, in the Australian Football League with Malcolm Blight, Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend, stating in 2009 that "there is no doubt it is the greatest rivalry in football."[2] The head-to-head count between the two clubs only include AFL premiership matches.
"There is a deep presumption today that your football loyalties come from a historical association with Port Adelaide or from one of the other nine SANFL clubs...That rivalry from the SANFL – by being Port Adelaide or not Port Adelaide – is...entrenched with the State's two clubs in the AFL.”
— John Olsen, former Premier of South Australia and current Chairman of the Adelaide Football Club.[3]
The Showdown's intense rivalry can be traced back to Port Adelaide's pre-existing rivalries within the SANFL, particularly Norwood.[1]
A SPLENDID GAME
Just as the more faithful
amongst the tribes of the East
feel it incumbent on them
to pay a periodical visit to Mecca,
so do lovers of the king of winter games
feel it almost an essential duty on their part
to journey to the Adelaide Oval
on the Queen's Accession Day,
in sunshine or rain,
to witness a trial of strength
between those great and old rivals
the Port Adelaide and Norwood clubs.
The Showdown is often considered the cultural successor to the Norwood–Port Adelaide rivalry characterised by a geographic and socio-economic divide. The two clubs first played each other in 1878 and became bitter rivals after multiple controversies in 1882.[5] Pictured is the 1921 SANFL Grand Final taking place on Adelaide Oval.
The Norwood–Port Adelaide rivalry began in 1878 when the two clubs first played one another, however it was not until 1882 that the Norwood–Port Adelaide rivalry grew bitter. That year Port Adelaide's first win over Norwood, held at Adelaide Oval, was controversially overruled by the league, with a follow-up game overshadowed by a misunderstanding at the gate which almost prevented Norwood players accessing the venue.[5]
"The feeling of rivalry between the two clubs is very keen, and it has unfortunately, it is to be feared, been intensified to the very verge of actual ill-feeling by the extraordinary conduct of the Norwood Club with reference to their last defeat by the Ports."
— Spectator writing for the Port Adelaide News, 18 July 1882[6]
After Federation the football scene in South Australia was characterised by a 'Port Adelaide vs The Rest' narrative.[3] Pictured is a cartoon from 1928.
After Federation, coinciding with the time that Port Adelaide was becoming the dominant force in the SANFL, the notion of 'Port Adelaide against The Rest' became a key theme for football in the state.[3] This notion was reinforced by a game between Port Adelaide and a composite state side at the end of 1914 after Port Adelaide had completed a perfect season winning both the state premiership and the Champions of Australia for the fourth time.
In the match between Port Adelaide and the composite state side some of South Australia's best players took part including Magarey MedallistsTom Leahy (North Adelaide), Frank Barry (South Adelaide) and Dave Low (West Torrens). Whilst South Australia started the game well and entered the quarter time break with the lead, Port Adelaide's system and fitness overwhelmed South Australia kicking 6 goals 5 behinds to nothing in the last quarter to win the game by 58 points.[7]
During the 1960s, West Adelaide legend Doug Thomas was quoted as saying that "If I was left to choose sides between Port Adelaide or the Soviet Union, I would join the communists from Russia every time."[8]
The Showdown rivalry also significantly draws upon the bitter, winner take all, competition for the two South Australian licences to join the AFL in the 1980s and early 1990s.
First South Australian AFL licence
In 1982 the SANFL approached the VFL in regards to entering two sides, Port Adelaide and longtime major rivalNorwood, in the Victorian league.[9] This action was also taken by WAFL club East Perth in 1980.[10] All approaches were ignored by the VFL at the time with the reason given by Jack Hamilton being that the VFL clubs thought that one or two SANFL teams would end up being too strong later admitting that they also wanted to continue to poach the states best players, which would soon include Craig Bradley and Stephen Kernahan in 1986.[11] 1982 also saw the first instance of the VFL expanding beyond Melbourne and Geelong with the South Melbourne Football Club being relocated to Sydney. The Port Adelaide Football Club's annual report from late 1982 showed that the failure of the attempts made by South Australian and West Australian clubs to enter the VFL significantly impacted the club's understanding of its future.[12] From this point Port Adelaide restructured the club in regards to economics, public relations and on-field performance for an attempt to enter the league in 1990. There was genuine feeling that failure to do this would result in the club ceasing to exist in the future.[13]
In 1985 Port Adelaide registered itself as a national football club. Sentiment at this time amongst the direction of Australian rules football in South Australia was succinctly encapsulated by a Michael Robinson article in the 1985 Football Times Yearbook that previewed the SANFL's upcoming season. In that article Robinson wrote about the disappointment of the equal gate sharing of match takings enforced by the SANFL for the upcoming season with the stronger South Australian clubs propping up ailing clubs such as Woodville.[14]
"What would be left of the SA league without the great clubs such as Norwood and Port Adelaide? It would drop to a miserable fourth-class contest. No one could blame Norwood and Port Adelaide for wanting to get out of the SA league into national ranks if they are further threatened by the dragging down process.
— Michael Robinson in regards to impacts of gate revenue sharing adopted by the SANFL for the 1985 season on Norwood and Port Adelaide, [14]
The following year the SANFL registered the name "Adelaide Football Club" in 1986 but ended up deciding against entering a team into the VFL.[15] In 1986 Norwood Football Club made an independent approach to the VFL with entry into the league discussed in great detail but these discussions ultimately failed to materialise.[13] In 1987 the West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears were admitted to the Victorian Football League leaving South Australia as the only mainland state without representation in the VFL.
"In 1988 a deputation from Norwood Football Club had announced it was interested in joining the VFL 'at any time in the future' and ... a private consortium headed by Ken Eustice was interested in grabbing a licence".
By 1989 seven out of ten SANFL clubs were recording losses and the combined income of the SANFL and WAFL had dropped to 40% of that of the VFL.[15] The 1989 Port Adelaide annual report and November newsletter contrasted with the outlook of other SANFL and WAFL clubs. After its demolition of North Adelaide in the 1989 SANFL Grand Final holding its opposition to a single goal, the club claimed a profit in the annual report and hinted at its intentions the following year in the club newsletter by saying Port Adelaide was "far better than their nearest rival in the SANFL".[17][18]
Top Left: On 9 August 1990 it was revealed Norwood had been in discussions with the AFL to join in 1991. However, after seeing the local media response to Port Adelaide's bid they sided with the SANFL. Norwood would again try to gain a licence during 1994 in a merger with Sturt.[19] Top Right: An injunction was won in the Supreme Court of South Australia preventing Port Adelaide from continuing its discussions with the AFL after 12 August 1990. Bottom: Cartoon by Michael Atchison for the Adelaide Advertiser on 1 August 1990 equating the tensions between the SANFL and Port Adelaide over the latter's attempt to join the AFL with the then concurrent Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
During early 1990 the SANFL had decided to wait three years before making any further decision. Frustrated with lack of progress, Port Adelaide were having secret negotiations in the town of Quorn for entry in 1991.[20] A practice match organised by Port Adelaide and Geelong on 25 February at Football Park attracted at over 30,000 spectators and illustrated the potential of a South Australian side in the newly renamed national competition.[21] Around the same time AFL was also seeking Norwood to join the national competition in 1990. However Norwood would eventually side with the SANFL after seeing the media reaction to Port Adelaide's attempts.
"They [the SANFL clubs] are not going to make that decision until they are at the lowest possible ebb. They'd be voting themselves into obscurity [opting for a composite team] in their state."
— Ross Oakley in regards to the other SANFL clubs opposing Port Adelaide's entry[22]
When the knowledge of Port Adelaide Football Club's negotiations to gain an AFL licence were made public, the other SANFL clubs saw it as an act of treachery. Subsequently, the SANFL clubs, led by Glenelg and Norwood, urged Justice Olssen to make an injunction against the bid, which he agreed to.[15] The SANFL promptly created a composite team to beat Port Adelaide's bid. The Adelaide Football Club gained what was very close to being Port Adelaide's licence to the AFL and began playing in 1991. The new Adelaide club would adopt the name "the Crows" after the states inhabitants often used the nickname "Crow-eaters". During this time the SANFL began suing people involved with Port Adelaide, including people volunteering in unpaid positions, with the AFL quickly stepping in to guarantee the protection of the club and associated people.[9] In 2014 during an interview with the Adelaide Advertiser, Ross Oakley revealed that "In desperation to force (the SANFL's) hand...we began dealing directly with two powerhouse clubs of the SANFL, Norwood and Port Adelaide...we were changing the league's name to AFL – and we could not go without a team from Adelaide."[16]
"These twenty blokes, everyone who has helped us, are sensational people and all the views that you have read in the press the one thing that really matters is that there will always be a Port Adelaide Football Club."
"I want to tell you that you want to enjoy this moment for what it is because the good times are well and truly gone. Apart from Jack (John Cahill) and the players there are a couple of individuals out there who are responsible for that and make sure you enjoy tonight because the good times will not happen again."
The front runners for the coaching job at the newly created club were both involved in the last SANFL game played in South Australia before the advent of a local AFL team, the 1990 SANFL Grand Final. In that game Port Adelaide, coached by John Cahill defeated Glenelg, coached by Graham Cornes, by 15 points. Graham Cornes ended up being selected to coach Adelaide for the 1991 AFL season. Cornes compiled a club list of the best players from South Australia, with few originating from other states, in what was almost a state side in the first year.[25] Chris McDermott, captain of Glenelg in the 1990 SANFL Grand Final, was designated as the Crows inaugural captain.[25] Despite Port Adelaide being SANFL premiers in 1990, only 5 players from the team became part of the Adelaide squad of 52. Those players being Bruce Abernethy, Simon Tregenza, David Brown, Darren Smith and Scott Hodges, with the last three joining Port Adelaide's inaugural AFL squad in 1997.[25][26]
In 1992 Port Adelaide played a young Adelaide side in a pre-season match at Football Park on February 1 in what was the first meeting between the two clubs.
Second South Australian AFL licence
The admission of Adelaide to the AFL had a devastating impact on the league's attendances with the SANFL recording a 45% drop between 1990 and 1993.[27] Port Adelaide defied this trend of falling SANFL attendances recording an increase of 13% from 1990 to 1993.[28]
"I only hope petty jealousies and fears within the S.A.N.F.L. don't short circuit a Port Adelaide proposal which clearly seems better than any other"
— Tony Greenberg, Inside Football, June 1994, [29]
In 1994 the AFL announced that South Australia would receive a licence for a second team based in the state.[11] The major bids competing with Port Adelaide this time around were from merger club proposals in Norwood-Sturt, and Glenelg-South. On 15 June the SANFL handed down a report recommending the second license go to a team formed from the amalgamation of two clubs.
"The sub-licence should be granted to an amalgamation of two SANFL clubs"
— SANFL, Report on the Future Direction of Football in South Australia, 15 June 1994, [30]
On 16 June it was reported in The Age by Stephen Linnell that "the League's preference was for a single, established club to join the league".[31] The final tenders were submitted to the SANFL on 14 September 1994 including Port Adelaide's second application, Norwood–Sturt's merged club bid with the remaining application coming from Woodville–West Torrens.[32]
"In my opinion coming second [not getting the second South Australian AFL licence] means you die"
On 2 October Port Adelaide won the 1994 SANFL Grand Final, its fifth in seven years. On 13 December Port Adelaide won the tender for the second SA license over its various state rivals, however it was prevented from entering the competition before 1996 as stipulated in the Adelaide license agreement.[34] In 1995 after an SANFL game at Football Park the Adelaide Crows began carrying out a training session which was interrupted by a large horde of Port Adelaide supporters chanting "We're coming to get you".[35] Adelaide coach Robert Shaw was the only Adelaide official to confront the horde.[35] In 1996 Port Adelaide was left to wait again as a vacancy was required in the league.
It was announced on 27 October 1995 that Port Adelaide would be participating in the 1997 AFL season, one season later than initially planned and seven years after the club's first failed bid in 1990.[36]
Other contributing factors to rivalry
Along with the circumstances of the two clubs entries into the national competition are numerous other factors that fuel the rivalry.
Lingering resentment
Labor politician and Norwood / Crows supporter Gordon Bilney said he would barrack for the Liberals before barracking for Port Adelaide.[37]
Many supporters of traditionally strong South Australian clubs other than Port Adelaide, such as Norwood, Sturt, Glenelg and North Adelaide, were left frustrated that Port Adelaide were the only SANFL club to make the transition to the AFL.
"I cannot even begin to imagine the joy of seeing Norwood players run on to the MCG in an AFL final – or even a home and away game...We would never again see some of the country's best players slip on our club's jumper while in their prime."
"Victorians say they hate Collingwood in the way that people say they hate snails getting into their garden and eating their lettuces. Let's call a spade a spade. If Port Adelaide were the last team on earth and they were playing a scratch outfit made up of child molesters, axe murderers, failed entrepreneurs and Liberal politicians, I'd barrack for the Liberals...Norwood people especially loathe Port Adelaide with a passion. Can I speak too badly of them? No, I can't."
Due to the inherent nature of being the only two South Australian clubs in the competition, when a player seeks to move to the state both clubs often vigorously compete for the players signature. This also applies during the AFL Draft when both clubs will jostle for position to gain local talent. Two notable examples of this characteristic were the bidding wars between the two clubs for Steven Motlop and Jordan Dawson.[40] Both players in their first Showdown appearances, Motlop for Port Adelaide after leaving Geelong and Dawson for Adelaide after leaving Sydney, kicked match winning goals for their new clubs.[40]
Guernsey issues
In 2005 for the AFL's Heritage Round, Adelaide decided to wear an iteration of the South Australian state guernsey, with the 'AFC' monogram instead of the 'SA' monogram, which was originally worn in 1930.[41] During the same match Port Adelaide were blocked by the AFL from wearing the club's Prison Bar guernsey.
"The Adelaide football team and the SA state side are two separate identities – and they should not be confused."
In February 2014, Adelaide announced that they would wear the South Australian state guernsey in the first Showdown at Adelaide Oval. This left Port Adelaide fans particularly aggrieved as many of their greats had worn the South Australia guernsey in the past. Port Adelaide released a statement at the time saying that the state guernsey was "a symbol of South Australian football unification, not division".[42] Others commented that it would be misappropriation to use a State guernsey for a club based competition with players who came from interstate being forced to wear a symbol of South Australia.
My father wore that state jumper to represent SA. So did I. So did many others. That jumper is sacred in my books...I spoke to Eddie McGuire today and suggested Carlton might wear the Big V in a heritage game. You can imagine the reaction. Clubs don't get to wear state jumpers...[43]
Shortly after unveiling the guernsey, Adelaide were denied permission to wear it by the SANFL.[45] Port Adelaide meanwhile were granted permission by the AFL to wear their traditional "Prison Bar" guernsey for the only Showdown in 2020, as part of the club's 150th anniversary celebrations.[46] The club requested it wear the guernsey in all future matches between the teams, which was rejected by Collingwood and the AFL.[47] The club negotiated an agreement with Collingwood to return the guernsey for the 2023 home Showdown match;[48] an agreement which has since been extended to include all future home showdown matches in both the AFL and AFL Women's competitions.[49][50]
Competitiveness
The Showdown has a history of upsets with ladder ranking and betting markets being a poor indicator of the final result. As of Showdown 44, over a third of meetings have gone the way of the lower ranked team. In addition to this the overall head-to-head lead has been held by both teams at different stages, has never gone beyond a differential of 6 and, as of Showdown 54 the ledger is tied at 27 wins each. This contrasts with the Western Derby where West Coast have never relinquished the lead of the head-to-head ledger and have at some stages held a 12 win differential over Fremantle and the Sydney Derby where the Sydney Swans have also never relinquished the lead of the head-to-head ledger and held a 7 win differential over the GWS Giants after 9 meetings.
The build up to the inaugural Showdown was described by Malcolm Blight as being akin to a Grand Final.[51] Having won their first match in the AFL against Geelong the week before, a pumped up Port jumped the Crows in the first half and managed to hold on in the final quarter as the Crows mounted a comeback. Port Adelaide eventually defeated Adelaide by 11 points.[52] The game notably also featured a fight between Port's Scott Cummings and Adelaide's Rod Jameson.
The battle of Adelaide has been fought and won. They brought with them a mountain of tradition, there's no denying that. A bonafide club, as distinct from the other. A club forged over many years. What an impact. There are a few chameleons in the crowd. I think a few changed during the course of the game. They found their roots.
— Dennis Cometti immediately after the siren had sounded signifying the end of the game[53]
Dennis Cometti, commentator for the inaugural Showdown, later elaborated on his chameleon comment saying that when Adelaide entered the AFL some Port Adelaide supporters began to follow the new team as it was the only South Australian club competing on the national stage, but six years after their original club attempted to do the same, they reverted to supporting Port Adelaide after they won the first showdown.[53]
The Ramsgate Hotel was the location of an altercation between the two sides in 2002.
The round 5, 2002 Showdown was the second time in a row Port Adelaide had won by 8 points. After the game about six players from both sides coincidentally came across each other at the Ramsgate Hotel in Henley Beach.[54] During the match Josh Carr had been taggingMark Ricciuto holding him to only 6 kicks (for comparison Ricciuto averaged 13 over his career).[55] When the groups of players met at the Ramsgate Hotel, the two aforementioned players started an argument, and with the assistance of alcohol, a brawl between the two groups broke out. No one was badly injured. The publicity of this incident resulted in consecutive Showdown crowds in excess of 50,000 at Football Park.[56] John Reid, former head of Adelaide Football Operations, was required (like his Port Adelaide counterpart) by the AFL to provide his players with a formal lecture regarding how the incident was unacceptable which upon completion he famously quipped "And I hope you won the fight!”.[57]
Showdown XV is memorable for the magnitude of the upset that Adelaide pulled off and the fact that it ended Port Adelaide's 7 game winning streak in Showdowns. At the start of the game Port Adelaide had won 5 of its first 6 games whilst Adelaide had only managed one. The gambling markets had Adelaide at $5 to win the match, the longest odds offered in any Showdown at the time.[58] Port Adelaide entered the first break with a 6-point lead but Adelaide coach Gary Ayres gave his side a spray and subsequently ran away with the game to cause arguably the biggest upset in Showdown history.
In the 2005 AFL Finals Series, Adelaide and Port Adelaide met in a semi-final, the first time, and thus far only time in their history they had played against each other in a finals game. The stakes of a showdown had never been higher and South Australia experienced an unprecedented high anticipation to the game in the week leading up to the match. The match was known in the buildup as "The Ultimate Showdown".[59] The first half of the game was an intense, defensive contest with the Crows leading 4.7 (31) to 3.6 (24) at the main break. Tempers almost boiled over in the second quarter after Adelaide ruckman Rhett Biglands was stretchered from the ground after a Byron Pickett shirtfront. However Biglands would return in the second half and the incident would eventually be deemed legal.[60] After half time, Adelaide thrashed Port Adelaide outscoring them by 76 points cruising home for an 83-point win, ending Port Adelaide's season. This remains as the only final played between the two sides and the only final the two would ever play at Football Park. 2005 was also the only time one of the clubs had defeated the other side in 3 Showdowns in the same AFL season.
Showdown 24 is often cited as the most physical meeting of the two clubs. Prior to Showdown 24 Port Adelaide had lost their two opening games of the 2008 AFL season and, coupled with their disastrous 2007 AFL Grand Final, Mark Williams demanded throughout the week at training leading up to the game that his players bring tough and physical brand of football to their next match.[61] Early in the game, and a sign of things to come, Matt Thomas knocked out Nathan Bassett.[61] Not long after Luke Jericho was bruised after a heavy collision with Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan.[62] In the last quarter Adelaide had four injured players on the bench resulting in Port Adelaide gaining all the momentum, kicking the last three goals of the match, with Daniel Motlop bringing the margin to 6 points with two minutes remaining. Despite this Adelaide managed to just hold on, despite losing a significant number of players, and limp to the siren for a win. The final 6-point margin was, at the time, the smallest in Showdown history and the result evened the ledger for the first time since 2000.
"Brogan has put Jericho down!...Gee that is a big hip-and-shoulder. Jericho has not moved."
— Dwayne Russell's call of the incident between Dean Brogan and Luke Jericho.[61]
Diagram of Angus Monfries' goal kicked on the 50-metre line that bounced before the left behind line, significantly changed direction right, and crossed the goal line to bring Port Adelaide within 2 points of Adelaide with 87 seconds remaining
In 2013 Port Adelaide beat Adelaide in the final Showdown to be played at Football Park. The game was also memorable for Port Adelaide's late final quarter charge, coming back from 20 points in the last 6 minutes of the game. This included a goal by Angus Monfries from outside 50 that landed just in front of the Port Adelaide's point line, bounced at right angles and went through for a goal. Chad Wingard kicked his fifth goal in the last 28 seconds to hand Port Adelaide the lead and win.[63] Port Adelaide winning this match meant the club had won the first, last and most Showdowns played at Football Park.
"Monfries has kicked a goal, unbelievable! That makes up for Robbie Gray in the first quarter...It's gone at right angles, right angles Tim!
I haven't seen anything like that, if Pythagoras is watching, explain that!"
The round 2, 2014 Showdown on 29 March 2014 saw the first Showdown played at Adelaide Oval along with the first game of Australian rules football at the venue since its extensive redevelopment. Port Adelaide led from the start, with Matthew Lobbe kicking the first goal in an Adelaide Oval Showdown but Adelaide mounted a comeback and claimed the lead briefly in the third. After the halfway mark of the third quarter, Port Adelaide ran away with the game winning by 55 points.[64]
"Port Adelaide will own this moment in history forever!"
— Dwayne Russell's statement as the siren sounded for the first Showdown at Adelaide Oval.
The round 16, 2015 Showdown on 19 July 2015 had added significance due to the recent death of Crows senior coach Phil Walsh, who spent ten years as an assistant in two stints with Port Adelaide, including their 2004 premiership.[65] The game lived up to expectation, with the Crows holding on desperately in the last quarter to win by three points, the closest margin in a Showdown. The game was played in front of 53,518, the largest attendance at the venue since the 1973 SANFL Grand Final. Scott Thompson was awarded the one off Phillip Walsh Medal, presented by Walsh's daughter Quinn.[66]
The round 8, 2018 Showdown held on 12 May 2018 was played at Adelaide Oval in front of a Port Adelaide home-crowd of 50,967. Despite Adelaide leading by 21 points at half-time, Port Adelaide managed to cut Adelaide's margin back to single figures with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. Robbie Gray kicked 2 goals late (his fourth and fifth of the quarter) to give Port Adelaide the lead at three-quarter time.[67] The final quarter was largely played in Adelaide's forward half but they could not trouble the scoreboard. With less than three minutes to go, the game looked all-but over, but that was not the case. Adelaide managed three goals in little over 2 minutes to regain the lead with 42 seconds on the clock through a Mitch McGovern set shot.[67] One last turn would see off-season Port Adelaide recruit Steven Motlop kick the winning goal with 21 seconds left. The celebration of Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley at the conclusion of the game, where he referenced the end of the Adelaide's five Showdown win streak, garnered significant media attention.[68] Robbie Gray claimed a third Showdown Medal for his best on ground display.[67] He managed 6 goals (5 of which in the third quarter).
"Flashpoint! Stevie Motlop, what a time!...He is floating on air now!"
— Anthony Hudson's call as Steven Motlop kicked the game winning goal.
Showdown 45 was a tight contest for the entire game apart from the opening where the Crows kicked the first three goals of the match. Second gamer Kane Farrell kicked three goals to close out the first interval with the quarter time scores level and the margin thereafter never again reaching three goals. Late in the final quarter Ollie Wines had the opportunity to seal the game with a set shot from a tight angle but his banana kick was ineffective. Minutes after Wines shot, Josh Jenkins snapped and his score was referred to the goal review umpire to clarify whether it hit the post. The score was quickly ruled a goal by the goal review umpire despite Josh Jenkins calling his teammates to set up for a kick out. He later stated his doubt in a post game interview. Robbie Gray was awarded a record fourth Showdown Medal becoming just the third player, after Graham Johncock and Shaun Burgoyne, to win the honour coming from the losing side. After the match Port Adelaide challenged the AFL Score Review system questioning the short amount of time taken for the review (23 seconds) and the lack of camera angles available to the umpires.[69] The AFL affirmed the decision that it was a goal.[69]
"My grandma raised me not to tell fibs. I think it hit the post...but I'm pretty happy they didn't think so."
Showdown 51 was the first edition of the fixture to be played on Friday night, the AFL's marquee time-slot, although this match partially overlapped with a match between Melbourne and Essendon that was played simultaneously that night and was not broadcast free-to-air nationally. Entering the match both Adelaide and Port Adelaide were winless having lost their first two games. In the lead up to the game Adelaide director Mark Ricciuto publicly noted, regarding his players, that "They can't kick, they can't handball, they can't kick a goal, they've given away free kicks, they really can't do anything worse.”[71] Also during the lead up to the game Kane Cornes called for Todd Marshall to be dropped from Port Adelaide's AFL side.[72] Marshall would go on to kick a career best five goals during the match.[73] Two minutes before the game ended Travis Boak had the opportunity to push the margin to 7 points but missed his shot, registering a behind and leaving the margin at two points. In the last minute of the game a late high contact free kick was paid to Lachlan Murphy against Port Adelaide's Sam Mayes approximately 45m out from goal. Murphy was unable to take the kick and the set shot was given to Jordan Dawson meaning that a kick after the siren would be required for Adelaide to win the game. The kick looked like it was heading straight for a behind until it swung left very late, going through for a goal. Dawson's goal gave the Crows their first win after the siren since Rod Jameson kicked the winner in 1991 against Fitzroy after the siren to win the game. This was also the first time that a Showdown had been decided after the siren.[73]
The two clubs sometimes meet in preseason fixtures, such as the first meeting between the two clubs in 1992, however these are not official Showdowns and do not contribute to the official statistics of the fixture. While the AFL draw is not a complete double round robin it is designed each year to include two Showdowns in recognition of its significance and gate drawing power. For the 2020 season only, there was only one Showdown due to the premiership season being shortened to 17 rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[74]
Below is a list of players who have played a senior game of football representing both the Adelaide Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club.
Only two players, Matthew Bode and Brett Chalmers, have appeared in Showdowns for both clubs.
*Years underlined indicate periods where players were on Adelaide's AFL list but played for Port Adelaide between 1991 and 1996 when the club's senior team was still in the SANFL. Where names are bold the player participated in a Showdown for both clubs.
*Where names are bold the player participated in a Showdown for both clubs.
AFL trades
Below is a list of AFL sanctioned trades between the two clubs. Only four trades have ever been orchestrated between the two clubs.[75] There were no trades for ten years between 2008 and 2018.
In the 45 Showdowns to 2018, a total of 2,017,918 people have attended the matches: an average attendance per match of 44,893.
The record attendance in a Showdown was 53,698 in Showdown XLII (round 3, 2017, a Port Adelaide home match). The lowest attendance was 2,240 in Showdown XLVIII (round 2, 2020, a Port Adelaide home match), due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time. Showdown XXV (Round 16, 2008, a Port Adelaide home match), which drew a crowd of 31,662, is the lowest attended Showdown that was not impacted by COVID-19.
A total of 1,053,674 people have attended Adelaide's 23 home Showdowns (including the 2005 Semi Final), an average of 45,812. Their attendances have ranged from 40,296 (Showdown IX) to 51,140 (Showdown XIII).
A total of 966,484 people have attended Port Adelaide's 23 home Showdowns, an average of 42,021. Their attendances range from 2,240 (Showdown XLVIII) to 53,698 (Showdown XLII).
Minor round fixturing
Due to the length of the AFL premiership season requiring five double up matches and the commercial strength of the Showdown there have always been two Showdown's fixtured for the minor round, with the exception of 2020 which saw only one Showdown scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally the gap between the two Showdown fixtures is maximised to preserve the games reverence.
Balfours, a South Australian wholesale bakery, became the naming rights sponsor for the Showdown in 2008.[77] As part of their efforts in promoting the game Balfours began, and continue, to produce donuts in the colors of the two competing teams.[78]
Variety
Variety, a charity for disadvantaged children, became the current naming rights sponsor for the Showdown in 2018.
Spin offs
Cricket
Adelaide Oval scoreboard during the Bushfire T20 Showdown.
Two Showdowns have taken place as Twenty20 cricket matches doubling as charity fundraisers for bushfire relief. In 2009, the two clubs played at Football Park what was dubbed as SA Footy's Bushfire Bash For Cash.[79] In the aftermath of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season which severely impacted Kangaroo Island and parts of the Adelaide Hills, the two clubs played another such game, this time at Adelaide Oval. Dubbed the Bushfire T20 Showdown, it also included members of the Adelaide Strikers of the Big Bash League participating including Australian internationals Alex Carey, who was also previously Greater Western Sydney's TAC Cup captain, and Strikers captain Travis Head. The game proved a success with 34,219 spectators collectively raising $1,015,239 by the end of the match for the South Australian Bushfire Appeal. Seven Network broadcast the match with commentators including James Brayshaw, Greg Blewett, Mark Soderstrom and Jason Gillespie.[80]
A charity spin off of the Showdown also included an annual 'Slowdown' that raised money for various charities. Slowdown's often featured retired Adelaide, Port Adelaide and SANFL players along with local celebrities.
^Whimpress, T.J. (1989). Port Adelaide Football Club Inc. Report of the Football and Footballers Clubs. Largs Bay, South Australia: Largs Bay Printers. p. 26.
^Weber, Bruce (1989). Magpie News. Largs Bay Printers: Port Adelaide Football Club. p. 3.
^"AFL sought Norwood". The Canberra Times. Vol. 64, no. 20, 209. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 10 August 1990. p. 13. Retrieved 1 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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