ADELAIDE was too strong in Showdown XLVI, defeating Port Adelaide by 20 points in front of 49,675 people at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
The Crows started the stronger of the two teams and pushed the margin out to beyond 40 points early in the final quarter.
Five unanswered goals to the Power wasn’t enough, as the Crows rallied late to extend their dominance over Port in recent times.
It was tight around the contest early in the game with neither side able to make any impact on the scoreboard in the first 10 minutes.
Tom Rockliff laid a strong tackle on Rory Atkins inside forward 50 to open the scoring but was unable to capitalise from tight in the pocket.
After 18-goalless minutes, David McKay broke the deadlock with a checkside, before Rory Sloane pounced on a defensive mistake to hand the Crows an 11-point lead at the first break.
After a goalless opening term for the Power, Powell-Pepper stormed the 50 and kicked truly in the opening 20 seconds of the second quarter.
Atkins answered five minutes later, before a controversial free kick and 50-metre penalty handed Tom Lynch his first.
Lachlan Murphy then received a holding free kick and converted to give the Crows a 23-point lead at the mid-point of the second quarter.
Connor Rozee marked at goaled for the Power’s second, before Lynch kicked his second to hand Adelaide back the ascendancy.
The scrap between the two sides continued but it was the Crows who headed into the main break with a 21-point advantage.
Jarrod Lienert, Dan Houston and Rockliff found plenty of football in the first half for the Power, while it was the Crouch brothers and Rory Laird who were dominating for Adelaide.
Taylor Walker started proceedings in the third quarter with a mark and goal from 50, before Karl Amon slotted truly from the pocket to reduce the margin to 22 points seven minutes in.
Three consecutive goals to the Crows through Riley Knight, Elliott Himmelberg and Hugh Greenwood pushed the margin past six majors at three-quarter time.
Lynch opened the final term with a snap for his third goal, before Kane Farrell kicked his first - Port’s fourth for the night.
A second major to Powell-Pepper and consecutive goals to Port for the first time on the night reduced the margin to 30 points.
Dougal Howard was moved into the forward line, and the leaping defender took a strong mark and goaled, before Xavier Duursma kicked the Power’s fourth consecutive major to bring it back to 18 points.
A Howard soccer off the ground for his second made it five in a row for Ken Hinkley’s men, but it was Adelaide’s skipper Walker who halted all the momentum with his second.
Sam Gray crumbed the pack and kicked a consolation goal late but it was the Crows who held on to win Showdown XLVI.
Rockliff finished with 41 disposals to lead all-comers on the ground, while Boak (28), Lienert (26) and Houston (25) also got amongst it for the Power.
For Don Pyke’s men, it was Rory Laird with 31 touches, Brad Crouch (30), Sloane (26) and Alex Keath (26) who were the major ball-winners.
Keath had seven rebound 50s, six one-percenters and five marks to go with his 26 disposals, which earnt him his first Showdown Medal.
SCOREBOARD
Port Adelaide 0.2 2.8 3.12 9.14 (68)
Adelaide 2.1 6.5 10.8 13.10 (88)
GOALS
Powell-Pepper, Howard 2, Farrell, Amon, Rozee, Duursma, S Gray
BEST
Rockliff, Boak, Powell-Pepper, Howard, Lienert
INJURIES
Ryan Burton (hamstring)
CROWD
49,675
