PORT Adelaide has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Adelaide but fallen heartbreakingly short of the Crows in a pulsating Showdown in front of 45,524 fans at AAMI Stadium tonight.

Adelaide won the sometimes brutal match by six points, 12.13 (85) to 11.13 (79), to leave the Power winless after three rounds. But no-one will be labelling Port “sooks” after this epic battle, which is surely the match of the season so far.

Forget ‘Gladiators’ – this game had more hits and thrills than any other TV ‘reality’ program, right down to a last-quarter comeback from the Power which saw them reduce the margin from 22 points with just 10 minutes remaining, to a goal at the final siren.

Peter Burgoyne (41 possessions) and Dean Brogan were outstanding for Port Adelaide, while Shaun Burgoyne bagged four for the Power, including two in the stirring final-term revival.

Adelaide’s Bernie Vince won the Showdown Medal in a 24-possession, two-goal coming of age performance, while Simon Goodwin and Richard Douglas led the goalkicking for the Crows with three each.

The game started at a frantic end-to-end pace, but goals were hard to come by.

Goodwin broke the ice with the first from 40 metres after 13 minutes, but it was immediately answered by David Rodan, who double-teamed with Port captain Warren Tredrea to level things up. The Crows grabbed the lead again through Douglas after a turnover from a Toby Thurstans kick-in, but the Power hit back through Shaun Burgoyne, who held a fine one-on-one mark against Kris Massie in the goal square.

With both defences on top the ball was being flipped around like it was touch footy, and defenders on both sides were racking up big stats. Graham Johncock had it 10 times for the Crows in the first term and Massie eight, while Peter Burgoyne had 11 touches for the term for Port and Jacob Surjan 10. The one exception to the ‘party’ was McLeod, who was restricted to just one touch by a hard tag from Kane Cornes.

The second term started with McLeod moved forward by Neil Craig to release him and give Surjan something to think about, but it was the Power who got the jump. Goals to Chad Cornes and Daniel Motlop saw Port out by 12 points, and it was then the game switched from fast and open to hard, tough and in-close.

Big hits were dealt out by Dean Brogan on Tyson Edwards and Luke Jericho, while in between those Nathan Bassett was KO’d when pinned in a tackle from Matt Thomas.

A free kick down field from that incident resulted in a goal to Vince to bring the Crows back to within a goal, and the game was again tied up when Goodwin goaled after a pass from McLeod.

The third term started the way the second ended, with Thomas downing Jason Porplyzia with a big hip and shoulder and Vince copping the same from Motlop, but it was the Crows who opened the scoring through Douglas crumbing a marking contest.

Adelaide was temporarily down to 18 fit men when Massie hobbled off with a hamstring problem, but bagged the next goal when Tyson Edwards played on from 50 after a strong Jonathon Griffin mark.

Port replied through Travis Boak, but when that man McLeod bobbed up and goaled and Vince followed up with another, the Crows were suddenly out by a then game-high 18 points.

Port then responded magnificently, first though Shaun Burgoyne from outside 50 and then a miracle from Chad Cornes deep in the right forward pocket, which again reduced the margin to a kick at the three-quarter time break.

The last quarter saw the battered Crows show enormous heart, and a string of goals to Douglas, Goodwin, Brett Burton and Griffin – broken only by one to Brogan – saw the Crows out to a 22-point lead after 16 minutes.

Port then summoned all its energy and conjured the last three goals of the game, with two to Shaun Burgoyne and one to Motlop. But the Crows held on in the desperate final minutes to clinch the match.

Adelaide has now won seven of the last eight Showdowns.

The last time Port Adelaide lost the first three matches of a season was 2000, when the club won only one of its first 12. That’s unlikely to happen this year, but the Power need to get on the board quickly when they host Brisbane at AAMI Stadium next Saturday night.

Adelaide 2.3  4.8  8.11  12.13 (85)
Port Adelaide 2.3  4.7  7.12  11.13 (79)

GOALS
Adelaide: Douglas 3, Vince, Goodwin 2, Edwards, McLeod, Burton, Griffin
Port Adelaide:  Shaun Burgoyne 4, Chad Cornes 2, Motlop, Rodan, Boak Brogan

BEST
Adelaide: Vince, Johncock, Edwards, Rutten, Goodwin, Douglas, Thompson
Port Adelaide: Peter Burgoyne, Brogan, Chad Cornes, Surjan, Cassisi, Shaun Burgoyne

INJURIES
Adelaide: Bassett (concussion), Jericho (back), Porplyzia (shoulder), Massie (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: nil

Reports: Matt Thomas for rough conduct on Nathan Bassett in the second quarter.

Umpires: Vozzo, Fila, Meredith

Official crowd: 45, 524 at AAMI Stadium

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.