IT WAS not pretty but Port Adelaide strengthened its hold on a top-four position with a heart stopping come from behind win over crosstown rival Adelaide in Showdown L.
In a game that never reached any real heights, the Crows led for most of the night, before being overrun by an inaccurate Port Adelaide outfit at Adelaide Oval 7.13 (55) to 7.9 (51).
After a tumultuous week involving former Crows captain Taylor Walker receiving a six-week ban for a racist slur, the Crows were up for the fight in the early stages.
They had all the territory in a scrappy opening, only for Port to register the first goal of the game after Zak Butters was taken high inside 50. His long kick from a tough angle found its way home.
Elliot Himmelberg crumbed and snaped a goal for the Crows to give them the lead but with Aliir Aliir marshalling Port’s backline and both sides failing to make the most of some very gettable chances, it was Adelaide with a one-point advantage at the first change.
The Crows upped the pressure gauge in the second term and despite having the same number of inside 50s for the quarter, Port went goalless to Adelaide’s three goals – two of them in a three-minute period running into the open goal by Ned McHenry.
Port was getting little time on the ball and making poor decisions under the pressure, constantly turning it over at half forward and failing to add to its solitary goal – kept to its lowest half time score since a 1.3 effort against Fremantle in 2013.
It was a better opening to the third term by the away team with Mitch Georgiades marking and goaling on a rare occasion when the delivery to a forward inside 50 was good.
But he and ruckman Peter Ladhams would miss golden chances to pinch back the lead before Ben Keays went down the other end and took the margin out to 16 points.
Ollie Wines stood up with a strong mark and goal from a difficult angle before David McKay cancelled out his effort with a left footed snap.
Needing a spark, Connor Rozee provided it for Port, intercepting a Crows’ handpass and dishing off to Zak Butters into an open goal.
Brodie Smith was substituted out of the game late in the term after a head knock and defender Will Hammill joined him on the sideline early in the fourth after he collided with a teammate, allowing Orazio Fantasia to snap his first of the evening and bring Port to within four points.
Butts was stretchered off, causing a six-minute delay in proceedings and after 20 goalless minutes up stepped Sam Powell-Pepper with a snap that silenced the 15-thousand strong partisan Adelaide crowd.
When Charlie Dixon marked strongly in front of a big pack with about eight minutes to play and goaled, suddenly Port led by nine points.
Aliir continued to repel the Crows, with a game-high eleven marks across half back and with just minutes to play Tom Lynch bobbed up for a goal to put everyone on the edge of their seats for the final seconds.
But Port would hang tough to break the hearts of the Adelaide faithful. Aliir took home the Showdown Medal as a clear winner as Port took a share of top spot at least until the conclusion of Sunday’s games.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 1.2 1.5 4.10 7.13 (55)
ADELAIDE 1.3 4.6 6.8 7.9 (51)
Goals
Butters 2, Georgiades, Wines, Fantasia, Powell-Pepper, Dixon
Best
Aliir, Drew, Burton, Lycett, Wines, Rozee, Boak
