PORT Adelaide champion Robbie Gray bowed out a winner on Saturday night after the Power walked the walk in Showdown 52, putting a scrappy Adelaide to the sword and closing their season with a 56-point win. 

After their leaders described the Crows as "arrogant and entitled" during a spicy build-up, it was on the Power to deliver in their club great's farewell game, and they were up to the challenge. 

POWER v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

They soaked up the Crows' pressure in the first half and made their move in a dominant third quarter, winning 16.15 (111) to 7.13 (55) and maintaining bragging rights with their fifth Showdown win in six attempts. 

Connor Rozee was brilliant for the Power, winning the Showdown Medal after spearheading his team's dominance from the midfield with 34 disposals, 11 inside 50s and a goal. 

With Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines (34 and eight clearances) also firing, and wingman Karl Amon (31 and six inside 50s) in fine touch, the Power controlled possession (401-288) and dominated inside 50s (61-48). 

Tall forward Todd Marshall booted four goals in an excellent display of set shot goalkicking, while defenders Kane Farrell (20 and eight rebounds) and Aliir Aliir (11 and nine intercepts) were strong in defence.  

It was Gray's night, however, with the five-time Showdown medallist booting two goals and setting up plenty more, with his accurate kicking and dynamic movement there till the end. 

After the emotion of the build-up, however, the Power took some time to match Adelaide's pressure early and were dealt a beating at the stoppages. 

The Crows capitalised with early goals to Darcy Fogarty and Rory Laird, before a goalless deadlock of almost 20 minutes followed as the Power lifted and both teams struggled to put clean possession chains together.

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Port broke away to start the second term, however, building a 13-point lead after Gray converted in quintessential style after marking close to the boundary and kicking from just inside 50m. 

Fogarty made sure the game didn't get away from the Crows, landing back-to-back goals. His first came after a dissent 50m penalty against Jeremy Finlayson, and his second after a brilliant contested mark on Jonas. 

Skill errors further afield continued to cost the Crows, in what was a scrappy, low-scoring half, and Port took a seven-point lead into the main break. 

Leading the centre clearances (8-2) and inside 50s (29-26) at the main break, the Crows had reason to be confident they could make a run in the second half if they tidied up their ball use. 

They couldn't, however, and the game slipped away from them quickly in the third quarter as Port feasted on the Crows' repeated turnovers going inside 50. 

Aliir was the major beneficiary, with five intercept possessions for the quarter, with Gray launching a run of four unanswered goals when he snapped his set shot home from the pocket. 

The Power pressure was starting to become overwhelming, with their ball use lifting around the ground and allowing them to carve their way forward and dominate the forward entries 20-8 for the quarter. 

They built a 28-point lead at the final change and the flood gates opened in the finale, with Port kicking seven of the last nine goals to finish an otherwise disappointing season with something to smile about. 

O'Brien was the Crows' best with a massive 50 hitouts and seven clearances, while Fogarty's three goals in the first half kept his team in touch. Laird (26 and six clearances) and Sam Berry (21 and six) fought hard at the coalface. 

Star shines on a Gray night 
In his 271st and final game, Robbie Gray started in the centre square as he often did in his prime as a midfielder/forward. He had most of his involvements inside 50, however, and showed flashes of his best in a night that could have delivered more than his two goals if he'd kicked accurately. Revered for his selflessness at Port, he had the opportunity to bomb a goal from outside 50 late, but chose to hit Todd Marshall on the lead instead, finishing with three score assists for the game and leaving through a guard of honour at Adelaide Oval. 

Fog's arrival a win for 2022 
Darcy Fogarty's 28 goals since round 11 before Saturday night ranked him No.3 in the AFL for that period, and he took his season tally to 33 in the final round of the season. It was a strong performance under difficult circumstances for Fogarty, who endured some scrappy forays forward from his team. His highlight was a strong contested mark on Tom Jonas, using all his strength to hold off his man and then gripping the ball like a vice before a typically accurate set shot. There is no doubt who the Crows will be building their forward line around in the future. 

Build-up delivers in the stands
If all the talk during the week achieved nothing else, it ensured a packed Adelaide Oval for what was essentially a dead rubber game. A massive crowd of 50,090 turned out for the Showdown, knowing it was Gray's last game but also maybe inspired by the theatrics of the week. It was the first crowd of more than 50,000 at Adelaide Oval since the round 16 Showdown in 2019 and the biggest crowd Port Adelaide had played in front of anywhere this season.   

PORT ADELAIDE            2.4   5.7   9.13   16.15 (111)
ADELAIDE                         2.3   4.6   5.9   7.13 (55)  

GOALS 
Port Adelaide: Marshall 4, Gray 2, Duursma 2, McEntee 2, Amon, Georgiades, Butters, Rozee, Powell-Pepper, Wines
Adelaide: Fogarty 3, Laird, Berry, Walker, O'Brien 

BEST
Port Adelaide: Rozee, Wines, Marshall, Butters, Amon, Aliir, Boak  
Adelaide: O'Brien, Fogarty, Laird, Dawson, Berry, Schoenberg 

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Dixon (corked leg), Georgiades (ankle), Finlayson (knee) 
Adelaide: Hinge (calf) 

SUBSTITUTES 
Port Adelaide: Riley Bonner (replaced Mitch Georgiades in the fourth quarter) 
Adelaide: Ben Davis (replaced Mitch Hinge in the fourth quarter)