Showdown (AFL)
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The Showdown is a term used to refer to the derby match between local rivals the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power in the sport of Australian rules football in the Australian Football League.
All matches are played at AAMI Stadium, the two teams' shared home ground.
[edit] Background
The Adelaide Football Club joined the AFL in 1991 and denied the Port Adelaide Football Club a licence for a South Australian team in the newly expanded national competition. Up until this point, Port Adelaide continued to field a side in the SANFL (which they continue to do), until they finally joined the elite competition (the AFL) for the 1997 season.
West End, a South Australian beer brewer, decided that the "Showdown" would be an appropriate name as a promotional opportunity for games between these two clubs, since it was the first time two South Australian teams had played against each other in the AFL. West End no longer holds naming rights to the Showdown as the Adelaide Crows changed their beer sponsor to the Victoria based Carlton and United Beverages brands in 2005.
Port beat the Crows in the inaugural Showdown in 1997. Having won their first match in the AFL against Geelong the week before, a pumped up Port jumped the Crows in the first half and managed to hold on in the final quarter as the Crows mounted a comeback. The game also featured a brawl between Port's Scott Cummings and Adelaide's Rod Jameson.
In the 2005 AFL Finals Series, Adelaide and Port Adelaide met in a semi-final, the first time in their history they had played against each other in a finals game. What was billed as a tight contest turned out to be a fizzer, with Adelaide thrashing Port Adelaide by 83 points.
Showdowns are referred to by their number, eg. Showdown X for the tenth game between the clubs. Only matches during the Premiership Season or Finals Series are given this distinction. Pre-season matches are often referred to as Showdowns, but are not officially given the title. There have been 21 games played [1] between the two clubs, with Port Adelaide holding an 12-9 advantage.
[edit] History of the series
Adelaide had won the last 4 showdowns, before Port Adelaide's recent shock win which is currently their longest winning streak in the Showdown. The longest winning streak belongs to Port who beat the Crows 7 times, the first win was recorded in round 22 of 2000 (Showdown VIII) while the last of the 7 wins was recorded in round 22 of 2003 (Showdown XIV).
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