Showdown XXVIWhatever – 29/04/12

Anyone heading along to the Showdown this weekend?

It’s shaping up to be an interesting clash IMO. Adelaide have been okay but at times a little lacklustre against inferior opposition. Port Adelaide haven’t got the ticks in the W column but have looked good in places against quality opposition.

Both sides have injuries to key prime movers in Vince & Gray, however I think Adelaide will be more capable of covering Vince than Port will be in covering Gray.

This game is crucial for both sides, with Port needing another win lest they be left behind, and Adelaide facing 6 weeks of tough games after this week.

I think this game will be close, and as an Adelaide fan I don’t go in with a hell of a lot of confidence. That said, I think Port may have lost their Showdown edge without Studley and Megahead in their line up.

I’m tipping Adelaide, but in a tight tough affair.

Being a Crows home game, I'll be going along.

We can throw the form book out the window for Showdowns. The last Showdown, both teams were in terrible form, but the Crows, buoyed by having a new (albeit caretaker) coach, got the win. The 2nd game last year, the Crows went from defeating Geelong to losing to Port in the space of a week!

While the Crows are 3-1 and Port are 1-3, Port haven't been playing that bad football, but they've had tough opponents in Essendon, Sydney and Collingwood. Adelaide, on the other hand, have won as expected against Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs and GWS and lost as expected to Hawthorn. So nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far.

Port build themselves up big time for these games, but a few of the key elements that build these games up (Cornes and Brogan) are at the Giants, so it will be interesting how much the Port side build themselves up for the game without these two elements.

The Crows normally take a more level headed approach to these games, which hasn't always worked in their favour as they are overwhelmed by the emotion Port bring to the game.

It will be an entertaining, tight game, but Adelaide should prevail by 12 points.

Good point regarding level headedness vs emotion Brucetiki. Sanderson has said this week that he will be building this up as a different game, a 'special' game (for want of a better word). Will be interesting to see how Adelaide come out.