AS well as the new Variety Showdown Shield for the team that wins Saturday’s derby between Port Adelaide and Adelaide, a new individual award will be on offer for the player judged to be best afield.
The new Showdown Medal is part of the partnership with the children’s charity Variety and it will be presented for the first time after Saturday’s game.
The original medal was given out for the first time in 2000, meaning it was not presented in the first three years of the rivalry.
Port Adelaide forward Robbie Gray could join the list of those who have won the most Showdown Medals if he is adjudged to be best on ground.
Nobody has won more Showdown Medals than former Power onballer Josh Francou who won three in four matches in 2001 and 2002.
Francou averaged 21 disposals across 15 games, winning eight of them.
He is now an assistant coach at Adelaide, adding an interesting spark to Saturday’s contest.
Crows Mark Ricciuto and Sam Jacobs also have three Showdown Medals, while former Adelaide Captain and current Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is a dual winner.
The only other player to win more than one Showdown Medal is Power star Robbie Gray.
Gray won the award for the first time in Port Adelaide’s 23-point win in Round 6, 2010 when he booted five goals four and had 20 disposals.
His second best afield performance in a Showdown came in Round 5 2015 when he had 32 touches and a goal in Port’s 24-point victory.
Current Port Adelaide Development Coach Scott Thompson won the medal in the Round 16 match in 2015, playing for the Crows, when it was renamed the ‘Phillip Walsh Medal’ as a one-off tribute to the late Crows coach and long-serving Port Adelaide assistant coach Phil Walsh.
PAST SHOWDOWN MEDALLISTS
2000, Round 7, Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide)
2000, Round 22, Nick Stevens (Port Adelaide)
2001, Round 3, Josh Francou (Port Adelaide)
2001, Round 18, Josh Francou (Port Adelaide)
2002, Round 5, Jarrad Schofield (Port Adelaide)
2002, Round 20, Josh Francou (Port Adelaide)
2003, Round 5, Graham Johncock (Adelaide)
2003, Round 22, Peter Burgoyne (Port Adelaide)
2004, Round 7, Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide)
2004, Round 22, Warren Tredrea (Port Adelaide)
2005, Round 3, Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide)
2005, Round 20, Simon Goodwin (Adelaide) and Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide)
2006, Round 6, Tyson Edwards (Adelaide)
2006, Round 21, Chad Cornes (Port Adelaide)
2007, Round 3, Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
2007, Round 18, Simon Goodwin (Adelaide)
2008, Round 3, Bernie Vince (Adelaide)
2008, Round 16, Danyle Pearce (Port Adelaide)
2009, Round 6, Dean Brogan (Port Adelaide)
2009, Round 17, Nathan Bock (Adelaide)
2010, Round 6, Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
2010, Round 17, Dom Cassisi (Port Adelaide)
2011, Round 4, Justin Westhoff (Port Adelaide)
2011, Round 19, Nathan van Berlo (Adelaide)
2012, Round 5, Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide)
2012, Round 15, Sam Jacobs (Adelaide)
2013, Round 3, Travis Boak (Port Adelaide)
2013, Round 19, Chad Wingard (Port Adelaide)
2014, Round 2, Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide)
2014, Round 15, Sam Jacobs (Adelaide)
2015, Round 5, Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
2015, Round 16, Scott Thompson (Adelaide)*
2016, Round 2, Tom Lynch (Adelaide)
2016, Round 22, Matt Crouch (Adelaide)
2017, Round 3, Rory Sloane (Adelaide)
2017, Round 20, Sam Jacobs (Adelaide)
*Phillip Walsh Medal
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