A CAREER-HIGH six-goal haul to forward Taylor Walker has propelled Adelaide to a 19-point win over Port Adelaide in Showdown XXXII on Sunday.
Walker was unstoppable, helping the Crows overcome a three-point three-quarter time deficit to triumph 16.14 (110) to 14.7 (91) in front of 41,469 spectators.
Port's tall forwards Justin Westhoff and John Butcher each kicked four goals but lost their attacking colleague Jay Schulz to an eye injury.
[ Related: Schulz Injury Update ]
After a traditionally tight opening, Adelaide's Walker stunned Port with three goals in three minutes.
Walker's burst at the start of the second term created a 19-point buffer for the Crows at half-time - the ultimate winning margin.
Dangerfield had 21 touches and Walker four goals by the long break, with Port's cause hampered by Schulz's injury in the second quarter.
Schulz lowered his head and appeared to initiate contact with Adelaide veteran Michael Doughty, whose thumb poked the Power forward in the right eye.
Adelaide appeared on a path to victory when 27 points up four minutes into the third quarter after Jared Petrenko's lively game was rewarded with a goal.
But Port, in an unheralded scoring burst, kicked six of the next seven goals to steal a three-point lead at the last change.
[ Related: Match Highlights ]
Port's purple patch included a worrying incident for the Crows' Walker, whose slide into a grounded Jacob Surjan will be scrutinised by the Match Review Panel.
Westhoff and Butcher were crucial to the revival, with Port holding valuable momentum at three-quarter time.
But the Crows stemmed Port's flow in a tense nine-minute deadlock to open the last term which was broken by Adelaide goalsneak Ian Callinan.
The 29-year-old rookie marked and goaled, and two minutes later a 60m set shot bomb from Graham Johncock gave the Crows an 11-point break.
Walker then capped his influential performance with the next two goals and help deliver Port a fourth loss from five outings this season.
ADELAIDE 4.3 10.4 12.7 16.14 (110)
PORT ADELAIDE 4.2 7.3 14.4 14.7 (91)
GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 6, Petrenko, Johncock 2, Thompson, Jacobs, McKernan, Tippett, Wright, Callinan
Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Butcher 4, Broadbent, Ebert 2, Jacobs, Schulz
BEST
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Sloane, Walker, Thompson, Johncock, Jacobs
Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Ebert, Chaplin, Rodan, Cornes, Boak
INJURIES
Adelaide: van Berlo (leg)
Port Adelaide: Schulz (eye)
SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Ricky Henderson replaced Nathan van Berlo in the third quarter
Port Adelaide: Aaron Young replaced Jay Schulz at half-time
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stewart, Nicholls, Hay
Official crowd: 41,649 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
