The Power led by five goals midway through the third quarter, before the Crows came alive in the final term.
Goals to Taylor Walker and David Mackay saw Adelaide close to be within 14 points late in the game, but a clever goal from David Rodan stemmed the tide and gave caretaker coach Matthew Primus his first win at the helm 13.10 (88) to 9.15 (69).
Skipper Dom Cassisi (28 possessions, 12 tackles and five clearances) won the Showdown Medal for best on ground in his good mate Josh Carr’s AFL swansong.
Forward Justin Westhoff kicked four goals in his most influential game of the season, while Brett Ebert chimed in with three crucial majors.
Kane Cornes kept Bernie Vince to just 18 possessions, while Kurt Tippett was held goalless by Alipate Carlile.
Troy Chaplin was influential as the loose man in defence and Travis Boak and Danyle Pearce both won their positions in the midfield.
The Crows struggled to find a target inside attacking 50 and were wasteful when they did, with key forwards Kurt Tippett, Taylor Walker (two goals) and Ricky Henderson managing just two goals combined.
Scott Thompson (25 possessions and two goals) tried hard for Adelaide, while Graham Johncock and Jason Porplyzia were solid in defence.
The resurgent Crows went into the game raging favourites against a Port Adelaide side that had lost nine straight games, but failed to make the most of their early opportunities.
Adelaide had more scoring shots than its cross-town rivals in the first half, but could manage a return of 2.9.
The Power displayed the intensity that had been missing for the past two months, winning the contested possession and the tackle count to set up the spirited win.
Port Adelaide 2.3 5.5 10.7 13.10 (88)
Adelaide 1.5 2.9 5.10 9.15 (69)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Westhoff 4, Ebert 3, Banner 2, Schulz 2, Rodan 2
Adelaide: Walker 2, Sloane 2, Thompson 2, Dangerfield, Vince, Mackay
BEST
Port Adelaide: Cassisi, Pearce, Chaplin, Brogan, K Cornes, Westhoff, Boak, Ebert, Carlile
Adelaide: Thompson, Henderson, Johncock, Porplyzia
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Logan (concussion), Gray (cut chin)
Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, McLaren, Hay
Official crowd: 36,788 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs of the AFL.
