IF you're as excited as us about FIXTURE DAY, you'll probably have a fair old opinion already on which games are going to really get you drooling for footy. We've given the best six games to see next year a crack...
Round 1 v Sydney
A season opener against the minor premiers on their home turf is tough at the best of times.
Throw in the fact that the last time these sides met at the end of 2016, Port was kept goalless in the first term and produced its worst ever start to an AFL game, and it makes for an interesting start the season.
There’ll plenty of fire behind this game – the Power will be seeking retribution and a chance to prove themselves after a disappointing 2016, while a win would break their nine-year drought at the SCG.
Even with the exciting return of Paddy Ryder, Angus Monfries and several others from long-term injuries, Port Adelaide will need to produce some top notch footy to compete at the Swans’ level.
Round 3 v Adelaide Crows (Showdown XLII – that’s Roman Numerals for 42)
The Crows won both Showdowns in 2016 to bring the overall ledger within a wafer-thin single game (we’re still up).
It’ll mark 20 years since the first Showdown, where we stuck it up the ‘rest’ of South Australia by pulling off a famous, unbelievable win at Footy Park.
Yeah, the punch up between Scotty Cummings and Rod Jameson was one thing, but the delicious tears of thousands of weeping Crows fans were far better. It would be fitting to commemorate that victory with another one at the beginning of the year.
But while history is great, we really think it's time to get ourselves another thrilling finish like this...
Round 5 v Carlton (Anzac Round)
Since we beat the Blues in front of an at-the-time record crowd of 52,505 by a massive 123 points, they’ve knocked us off by two and four points.
We owe them one. And we get the opportunity to do it on the national stage – Friday night footy – as we launch Anzac Round under lights at Adelaide Oval.
Big crowd, big opposition, big stage…big game.
Round 8 v Gold Coast Suns (in Shanghai)
We are playing a game in freaking Shanghai.
‘nuff said.
Round 12 v Essendon
There wouldn’t be an AFL supporter in the competition who isn’t interested to see how their team fronts up against a reborn Essendon this year.
In Round 12 the Power will face a very different Bombers outfit to last season – it’ll mark the first time the sides have met since several players return from a 12-month ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
It’s our only game at Etihad for the year, and the boys will have a nine-day break - their longest for the season aside from the bye – to prepare for a hard, fast track at Docklands.
Round 17 v North Melbourne
It’s the first time we’ve played the Roos in SA since 2012.
Five years since this happened...
Oh, and since then, three of the four games we’ve played have been decided by 10 points or less.
