PORT Adelaide dominated the scoreboard as much as the Adelaide Oval crowd on Saturday night to firmly establish itself as South Australia's best team.
Adelaide threatened to cause a boilover with the first two goals before Connor Rozee, Travis Boak and Steven Motlop inspired a Power stampede that ended in a 17.8 (110) to 5.5 (35) thrashing.
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It was comfortably the biggest-ever win for the Power in a Showdown, with Boak accepting his second Showdown medal as the best player afield.
Port – in the prison-bar strip – has now won three of the past five Showdowns, after having lost seven of the previous eight before its 57-point demolition of its arch-rival in round 16 last year.
The wonderfully talented Rozee (eight clearances) was the early catalyst for Port, helping snatch the momentum midway through the opening term with his work in the clinches then capping it off in front of goal.
Experienced pair Boak (24 disposals) and Motlop (24) then took over to crush the Crows inside and outside the contest in a brutal display.
The Power lashed Adelaide after an even opening, kicking nine straight majors from early in the second term until ex-Magpie Ben Crocker finally snapped the streak shortly before three-quarter time.
The inside 50 count can be deceiving, but not on this occasion. Each club had 13 in the first quarter but it was 47-22 in Port's favour by the final break, when the margin was 64 points.
The Power's performance was a perfect example of the blending of promising youth and grizzled veterans that Ken Hinkley hopes will propel them back to the finals.
Xavier Duursma chipped in with three goals and Zak Butters (21) was lively again, while Tom Rockliff (24), Hamish Hartlett (21) and Robbie Gray provided good support.
They will welcome back Ollie Wines in round three, too, after his COVID-19 slip-up this week cost him his spot.
On the flipside, Matthew Nicks' rebuilding Crows look set for a difficult year after also dropping their season opener to Sydney.
Future is Rozee for Port Adelaide
Connor Rozee is the present and future for Ken Hinkley's side but he's far from the only Power player worth being excited about.
He was one of nine Port players who went into Saturday night's Showdown with 64 games' experience or less.
That group also included Karl Amon, Riley Bonner, Ryan Burton, Zak Butters, Xavier Duursma, Dan Houston, Todd Marshall and Sam Powell-Pepper, who are already making their presence felt.
That's what makes the Power's age and games deceiving, given the numbers had them as the fifth-oldest and fourth-most experienced squad for round two.
Port Adelaide's had a friendly draw to start the season, but it seems primed to return to the finals.
Marshall matters
The other key instigator for Port Adelaide was developing key forward Todd Marshall.
Marshall was playing only his 22nd senior match but kicked two of the Power's four opening term goals and he set up another with a deep kick inside 50 after a strong mark.
The 21-year-old finished with 11 disposals, six marks, two goals and six score involvements and is fitting in beautifully next to Charlie Dixon in attack.
Dirty night compounded by injuries
As if the result wasn't bad enough, Adelaide started the final quarter with only two fit players on the bench.
Captain Rory Sloane, who started brightly, had his right quadriceps on ice before three-quarter time, while defender Jake Kelly exited the match in the opening term with concussion.
However, Tom Doedee came through unscathed in his first outing since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in round one last year.
PORT ADELAIDE 4.2 8.4 14.7 17.8 (110)
ADELAIDE 2.1 3.2 4.3 5.5 (35)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Duursma 3, Dixon 3, Westhoff 3, Marshall 2, Motlop 2, Ebert, Boak, Butters, Rozee
Adelaide: Sloane, Fogarty, Smith, Crocker, B.Crouch
BEST
Port Adelaide: Rozee, Motlop, Boak, Duursma, Byrne-Jones, Butters
Adelaide: O'Brien, M. Crouch, B. Crouch, Talia
INJURIES
Port Adelaide Ryan Burton (knee)
Adelaide: Jake Kelly (concussion), Rory Sloane (corked thigh)
Umpires: Leigh Haussen, Mathew Nicholls, Craig Fleer, Eleni Glouftsis
