PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has dismissed verbal barbs from Adelaide players ahead of a high-stakes Showdown that will go a long way towards determining the Power's finals path.
The Crows have won the past three South Australian derbies and have nothing to lose against their fierce rivals, with a top-eight berth well out of reach.
But Port is desperate to hang onto its top-two spot and secure a home ground advantage for the finals to set themselves up for a successful September campaign.
Several Crows players have thrown up potential distractions during a spicy build-up to Showdown 56, with skipper Jordan Dawson saying it "would be nice" to put a dent in Port's finals ambitions.
Darcy Fogarty said it would be a "cherry on top" to ruin the Power's season and Josh Rachele even took a swipe at Port supporters, saying they have "no teeth" in a breakfast radio interview.
Those fans are certain to make their feelings known during what is a designated Power home game at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Hinkley declared the Port-Crows rivalry as good as any in the League but said "I don't care" when quizzed on the comments by vocal Adelaide players.
"They're for Matthew (Nicks) to talk about, not for me," Hinkley said.
"Our focus is clearly on this week and our season.
"We need to get ourselves in a position where we can capitalise on the work that we've done thus far. It's a big game for us."
Crows coach Nicks declared actions would ultimately speak louder than words, demanding his players stand up when called upon in the heat of battle.
"It will come down to who performs on the night once we cross that white line - not the theatre," Nicks said.
"There's going to be moments in the game where you're going to have to put your head over it.
"There's going to be moments where we need you to get the job done and that's been something we've worked on right throughout the year.
"The last few times we've played Showdowns we've been able to get those moments right, and it will be the key to this one."
Port has won its past four games and are on track for a fourth finals series in five seasons, chasing a first Grand Final appearance of Hinkley's 12-year tenure.
The 57-year-old said the Showdown would be a strong preparation for September, less than a month out from week one of the finals.
"We know the build-up is big and we understand there's a little bit more on it based on the rivalry, which we all love being a part of," Hinkley said.
"You know the stakes go up and you know the anxiety probably goes up a little bit more for players when they're out there performing.
"That's just good preparation but we're only preparing for this game and then we'll worry about the next challenge.
"We've had a really good challenging stretch of games that has put us in a pretty healthy position to take care of (Saturday) night."
Already without Mitch Georgiades (quadriceps) and Jeremy Finlayson (spleen), Port has lost fellow tall Todd Marshall (concussion) and named Ryan Burton to fill a hole in attack.
The Crows have replaced veteran forward Taylor Walker (eye) with Lachie Gollant, who has been called up for his fourth senior game of the season after starring with eight goals in the reserves last week.
