Indy Tahau celebrates a goal during Port Adelaide’s clash against Adelaide in round 11, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
PORT Adelaide has broken through for its first Showdown win against Adelaide, the Power hanging on to score a historic seven-point victory at a packed Norwood Oval on Friday night.
Abbey Dowrick led the charge for the Power, the star midfielder taking out the Showdown Medal for best afield in her side’s 7.10 (52) to 6.9 (45) win to break a run of three Showdown losses.
CROWS v POWER Full match coverage and stats
Port led by as much as 24 points as Adelaide failed to kick a goal in the second and third quarters, but majors to Anne Hatchard and Rachelle Martin made for a tense final term.
Caitlin Gould made it a seven-point game with 80 seconds remaining, but Port hung on for a famous win despite failing to register a major in the last quarter.
AFLW leading goalkicker Indy Tahau stretched her lead at the top with two goals to take her tally to 23 for the season and set a new competition record, while Ebony Marinoff did her best to inspire her side with a game-high 34 disposals and 14 tackles.
The result left Adelaide with a 6-5 record with one round remaining, while Port improved to 5-6 to keep its mathematical finals chances alive.
There was plenty of niggle from the outset, and it proved costly for Adelaide.
The skirmish that broke out following Eloise Jones’ opening goal four minutes in saw Niamh Kelly suffer an accidental head knock that ruled her out of the match with a concussion.
Port Adelaide twin towers Tahau and Gemma Houghton hit the scoreboard early, but the home side had the better of a pulsating opening, Marinoff with 10 disposals for the term and six tackles to help Adelaide to a nine-point lead at the first break.
Jasmin Stewart was the catalyst for a huge momentum shift Port’s way in the second quarter, with 10 touches and a goal in a four-goals-to-nil blitz.
Stewart’s goal in traffic with five minutes left in the half gave her side the lead for the first time, with Tahau and Dowrick pressing home the advantage with goals to stretch their lead to 14 points.
Both teams came together in a heated clash after the half-time siren and the Power maintained the rage into the second half.
Rampant Port went inside forward 50 15 times to Adelaide’s none to start the third quarter and when the Crows finally did venture inside their attacking 50 with five minutes remaining, Sachi Syme repelled the danger with an intercept mark.
Ella Boag’s goal was the only major of the quarter as Adelaide’s goalless run stretched to two quarters, the Power taking a 23-point lead into the final term.
Tahau’s record-setter one to remember
Just minutes after putting a set shot 30m out in front of goal out of bounds, Tahau redeemed herself in stunning style with a NAB AFLW Goal of the Year contender. Hemmed in on the boundary line, Tahau had next to no room to work with but somehow managed to send a right-footed snap goalward. To the amazement of all, her shot from 25m out sailed through the middle for a magnificent goal that saw her become the first AFLW player to kick 22 goals in a home and away season.
Clear clash of contrasting styles
The different game styles preferred by Matthew Clarke and Lauren Arnell was plain to see in an electric opening term. At one stage the Crows led the possession count 42-22 with every one of Port’s 22 disposals a kick. Adelaide had a more even output with 23 kicks and 19 handballs, with the quarter ending with Adelaide up 70-44 in the possession count, with Port registering just nine handballs to the Crows’ 32.
Up next
The Crows will host Fremantle at Norwood Oval on Sunday afternoon, while the Power will battle Greater Western Sydney at Henson Park in Sydney on Saturday afternoon.
ADELAIDE 3.3 3.6 3.7 6.9 (45)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.0 6.2 7.6 7.10 (52)
GOALS
Adelaide: G.Kelly 2, Martin, Jones, Hatchard, Gould
Port Adelaide: Tahau 2, Houghton 2, Stewart, Dowrick, Boag
BEST
Adelaide: Marinoff, Hatchard, G.Kelly, Goodwin, Newman, Jones
Port Adelaide: Dowrick, Scholz, Stewart, Woodland, Brooksby, Heads
INJURIES
Adelaide: N.Kelly (concussion)
Port Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: TBC at Norwood Oval
