FOR Port Adelaide players, hosting a game in ANZAC Round is an honour and a privilege but it won’t just be them and players from North Melbourne facing off at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.

For the 16th year in a row, a team of combined Australian Defence Force personnel will take on a group of Emergency Services staff as a curtain-raiser to the main event.

While there isn’t much more on offer than bragging rights, the game is serious business.

The game pits Army, Navy and Air Force officers up against Police, Fire and Ambulance personnel in a game dubbed the ANZAC Challenge.

The ADF All-Stars have spent the week training in Adelaide including at Alberton Oval, making use of the facilities used by the Power players as part of a long-standing but recently formalised strategic partnership between the ADF and Port Adelaide.

For Army Corporal Matthew Hood, who is from Adelaide, the game is one of the highlights of ANZAC week.

“It’s huge being ANZAC week and especially for us being a tri-service team, to get the opportunity to play on Adelaide Oval during this week, to pay the respects in a way that we love – and that’s to be playing hard competitive footy,” he told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“Just over a month ago we played a national carnival with Army, Airforce, Navy playing against each other so we have that friendly rivalry between the services, but from that we’ve picked a tri-service team of 28 members to come together for this week.

“It’s massive because it’s probably the highest level of footy that most of the guys will play so to have that on ANZAC week and on Adelaide Oval is great.”

The All-Stars helped out at a family day for ADF personnel and their children at Alberton Oval on Tuesday, running drills alongside Power players for the around 200 people who were there.

They also attended Power training at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, getting an opportunity to both watch and mingle with the AFL players.

Corporal Hood is hoping the exposure to both Adelaide and Alberton Ovals, and the Power players and staff will provide the edge his side needs to get over the Australian Combined Emergency Services (ACES) in the game, dubbed the ANZAC Challenge, on Friday evening.

“It’s been a great insight all week, especially for the guys who are Port Adelaide fans, to get an understanding of the inner sanctum of what the club is all about.”

This match will be the sixteenth game played between these two sides with the ADF All-Stars leading nine wins to six.

While the competition is fierce, the game is about sportsmanship and respect.

The ADF All-Stars will take on the ACES at Adelaide Oval from 4:10pm as a curtain raiser to Port Adelaide’s huge clash with North Melbourne.