A SHOWDOWN against rivals Adelaide will be the perfect tonic for Port Adelaide’s disappointing showing against Brisbane, according to leadership player Darcy Byrne-Jones.
Port was beaten all over the ground in its 49-point defeat to the Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night.
The Crows suffered a similar defeat at the hands of Greater Western Sydney and with both sides looking to respond, there will be even more spice to the already intense rivalry.
“We didn’t play our best footy (against Brisbane) and got beaten up around the contest,” Byrne-Jones said during a joint press conference with Adelaide defender Jake Kelly.
“It’s disappointing to perform like that but the beauty of footy is that there’s always next week and the next week being a Showdown makes it even better.”
Despite hailing from Victoria Byrne-Jones is fully immersed in the rivalry, which boasts a tally of 24 wins to each club from 48 meetings.
And with Adelaide Oval returning to full capacity from Saturday night for the first time since 2019, there is added excitement to the game.
“It’s a normal game in terms of the four points but there’s just so much more riding on it,” Byrne-Jones said.
“It divides the state and there’s such a big build up. Growing up in Victoria you don’t realise the magnitude of the rivalry until you get over here but once you do get over here and immerse yourself in Port Adelaide you realise how much it means to everyone.
“Beating the Crows is massive. I think I lost my first four or five Showdowns so to be able to win a couple in recent years is huge and we’ll be looking to do the same on the weekend.”
While some might be intimidated by a parochial Port Adelaide crowd, Kelly was excited to run out in front of it.
“I love playing in front of a Port crowd to be honest,” he explained.
“The pre-game stuff they do is fantastic and it’s a credit to everything South Australians have done and the whole nation more broadly has done to stay safe and get the country back in a full spot.
“I think it’s incredible that pre-game stuff. It gets me excited and I’m sure it gets (Port Adelaide) excited every time they play.”
Port is hopeful defender Ryan Burton will be able to play despite a rib injury suffered in Saturday night’s loss and Byrne-Jones is expecting midfielder Travis Boak to be able to return to the side after sitting out with a quad injury.
He said Boak’s return would mean he could return to defence, although picking a match-up was a bit harder.
“Now that Eddie (Betts) is gone, I can breathe a sigh of relief there,” Byrne-Jones joked.
“I’m not sure who I’ll match up on this week. I spent a bit of time in the midfield this week… I think I had about five touches in a half so I don’t think I’ll be up there again.
“Boaky is one of the premier midfielders in the competition so any time you can get a guy like him back in the team will make a big difference.”
Port midfielder Tom Rockliff had scans on Monday on a knee injury suffered in Sunday’s SANFL win over the Eagles and is expected to be sidelined for a period, ruling him out of the Showdown.
Defender Kelly said the Crows backline had to be wary of “five or six other guys who are just as dangerous” as Port big man Charlie Dixon, and he was confident his side would be able to get a result.
“I think the great thing about us is that we can revert back to that first game and know if we can play our best footy, we can compete with anyone in the competition,” Kelly said.
“We did that against Geelong and we’ve got to make sure every time we go out we bring that intensity, effort and attitude.
“We know if we can do that, we can beat sides like Geelong and the best sides in the competition, and Port Adelaide are one of those teams.”
Port Adelaide will take comfort from winning the last two Showdowns including a 75-point win in front of just 2500 people in 2020.
The Power also enjoyed two wins over the Crows in pre-season.
