AS PORT ADELAIDE and the Crows shape up for the second of three women’s senior Showdowns this weekend, it will surprise many to know that this series isn’t actually the first time women have squared off whilst representing those clubs.

15 years ago, ahead of the Power barnstorming to its first AFL premiership, a women’s match was organised, pitting Port against the Crows.

The game was to be 12 per side, played as a curtain raiser to a men’s Showdown at Football Park, and broadcast live on Fox Footy.

“I had (basketball great) Jan Stirling coach us and we got Rachael Sporn to coach the Crows because she was a Crows supporter,” remembered Jenny Williams, who organised the match.

“We made it 12-a-side and played across the ground before the big game.

“Vodafone agreed to sponsor it and I think the biggest thing was that Foxtel broadcast it live, so it was the first women’s game in a big stadium broadcast on television.”

Williams – the daughter of the great Fos Williams and sister of past players and coaches Mark, Anthony and Stephen Williams – remains heavily involved in the women’s game, having started the women’s football competition in South Australia with Gina Dutschke in 1990.

She recalled to portadelaidefc.com.au how she leaned on professional sportswomen who were Port Adelaide supporters to take part in the game.

“We put together the exact model that everyone is doing now in the AFLW,” Williams said.

“The Crows just went and got women who played footy and some of their staff, whereas I went and got sportswomen who were Port Adelaide people and a couple of other young girls who were involved in our year 12 football VET course at the club who were talented and got them to play.

“That day we had women playing, we had women umpires and goal umpires, women runners and women coaches.

“We were ahead of the curve in so many ways. It was pretty special.”

For the record, Williams’ recruiting paid off with a handsome victory by 94 points.

The final score was 16.5 (101) to 1.1 (7) with basketball star and two-time AFLW best and fairest medal winner Erin Phillips (pictured below) running rampant.

She missed the team photo at the end of the game because she had to rush off to play in the WNBL.

Among the Power team that day along with Williams and Phillips were Hockeyroo Juliet Haslam, basketballer Jenny Cheesman, former Australian cricket captain and lacrosse player Jill Kennare and a young Tess Baxter, who now coaches Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFLW.

Power premiership coach Mark Williams was an interested onlooker as his sister ran around and his wife Pauline acted as team runner.

For Jenny Williams, there is nothing she would love more now than to see Port Adelaide have a women’s team in the SANFL and the AFL - something the club is keen to do.

“I honestly believe Port Adelaide deserves representation in the SANFL at the very least but also the AFL,” Williams said.

“Women at Port Adelaide have always counted. That’s why my mother is a life member.”

Having taken out the inaugural Statewide Super Women’s Exhibition match at City Mazda Stadium last month by three points, the women representing Port Adelaide will be able to claim the three-game series when the sides face off again from 11:55am on Sunday 21 July.

The game will be played as a curtain raiser to Port Adelaide’s massive SANFL game against Glenelg at Alberton Oval.

The two teams were selected under the same SANFL alignments as the Next Generation Academies currently in operation at SA’s two AFL clubs.

Sturt, North Adelaide, Glenelg and Central District prospects lined up for Adelaide while West Adelaide, South Adelaide, Norwood and Eagles hopefuls were chosen for Port Adelaide.

The games are about giving the rising stars of the SANFL Statewide Super Women’s League a chance to push their claims in an elite environment ahead of the 2019 AFLW Draft.

Williams has one message for those wearing the Black, White, Silver and Teal:

“Putting on those guernseys that one time was just the biggest deal for a whole lot of us – it was just a dream come true,” she said.

“They’ve got an opportunity that those of us who are older would have done anything to have. It would have meant so much to our families and to us.

“For them to have that chance for us, means they need to take some pride in it.

“There are some of us, who if we were 40 years younger, would be lining up to have that chance so they need to care about the history and the privilege of wearing that guernsey. That’s the most important thing.”