TO those who sat at home, Showdown L was (by sampling quarter-by-quarter reactions fired from the couches) hard to watch as a low-scoring battle - or arm wrestle, as they call it now.
For the 45 guys who took to Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, the derby was bloody hard work.
So intense was the contest that the final margin of four points marks the sixth time a Showdown has been decided by six points or less - and the fourth time since the derby moved from Football Park to Adelaide Oval in 2014. It is now 3-3 in these games decided by a kick.
To those - such as the bookmakers listing Port Adelaide as the hottest favourite in 25 seasons of Showdowns - who expected a percentage-boosting result, there was another reminder that the South Australian derby can indeed ignore form, premiership rankings and the betting odds. For the record, Port Adelaide lost 0.5 percentage points - but is further entrenched in the top four by Sydney's loss to St Kilda.
But the greatest gain for Port Adelaide in this Showdown - that lived to its long-standing image as a grudge match that defies form - is the reminder of what AFL finals are like ... and what they demand.
Players from every era since the Showdown began describe the build-up and intensity of the derby as the equivalent of all that unfolds in September. The 50th Showdown might have had its lead-in diminished by the Olympics, off-field turmoil in the rival camp at West Lakes and the continued pain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the match lived up to everything expected of two South Australian clubs that count a Showdown victory as - to quote Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley - "critically important .... and (with that) the pressure builds ... it's a Showdown."
Port Adelaide now leads the historical ledger 26-24. It has won four consecutive Showdowns, a dominant run not known for 18 years.
More importantly, in the context of a bigger prize, Port Adelaide has collected its 15th win of the year - for the first time (in a 22-game home-and-away season) since 2007 and sixth time since advancing from the SANFL to the AFL in 1997.
Port Adelaide's four-point win was built on the true indicators of the team's progressive season - the blue-collar markers such as contested possession (164-156), clearances (36-33) and notably an 18-8 advantage in contested marks.
And the most influential man in the air was Port Adelaide defender Aliir Aliir. His 11 marks - 10 listed as intercept marks - clearly defined him as the Showdown Medallist. The Sydney recruit was the ultimate frustration to an Adelaide team that matched Port Adelaide for inside-50 entries (47-48) on a dew-drenched field that often seemed too small for 36 footballers.
Port Adelaide was certainly tested in a way that seemed most unlikely considering the starkly contrasting form and off-field preparation the Showdown rivals had on returning from their fortnight-long retreats to Melbourne.
Port Adelaide's lone goal at half-time marked the team's lowest score in a first half since round 12 last year (in the loss to Geelong). Much credit does belong to Adelaide for taking the speed out of the game and for seeking that "arm wrestle".
"And after half-time," noted Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks, "(Port Adelaide) wanted to own the ball, to go sideways, to have short lead-ups."
It took until nine minutes were left on the clock (that ran until 38:48 in the last term after a first-minute medical stop) for a persistent Port Adelaide to regain the lead from Sam Powell-Pepper after being behind from early in the first quarter.
The beauty of this Showdown win was the defining moments from many rather than (apart from Aliir) of one, two or three Port Adelaide players dominating to stamp their authority on the result. Such critical moments include Connor Rozee intercepting Paul Seedman's kick in-board to set up Zak Butters during the third term.
As much as the eager wait for key players to return from the injury list has been about wanting to see more talent and more class on the field (rather than in the medical rooms), the real gain is - to quote Hinkley - "greater depth allowing more players to share the load".
Port Adelaide can now have vice-captain Ollie Wines comfortably move from the midfield to the goalsquare because Willem Drew is working for 23 disposals, 15 of which are contested possessions earned while applying a game-high 10 tackles. And Miles Bergman is collecting 23 (11 contested) while proving as alert as Aliir in the intercept game, on the deck and in the air.
Not one of the three flags on the old scoreboard moved during a Showdown that would have kept its vast television audience on the edge of its seats. But that scoreboard registered a combined score of 14.22 (38.88 per cent conversion rate). The dew on the field was testing, as was the pressure - real and perceived - of a match that continues to defy all logic from form lines, premiership tables and betting charts.
Port Adelaide will be better prepared for next month's top-eight finals from this Showdown being a contested affair rather than a percentage booster with a 10-goal or more margin.
Those homebound Port Adelaide fans who found it hard to watch Showdown L - a match that needed to be appreciated with a panavision view rather than what was on offer on a rectangular screen - might note their team once again found a way to win, as it did in that demanding struggle with Collingwood at the MCG on May 23.
Port Adelaide has now won three games decided by a goal or less this season - and lost none. The lessons and memories from these intense battles should deliver some advantage, if needed, in September.
