Adelaide fell by seven points
By Jason Phelan/AFL Media
Adelaide fell to Port Adelaide in Showdown IV by seven points at a packed Norwood Oval on Friday night.
Abbey Dowrick led the charge for the Power, taking out the Showdown Medal for best afield in her side’s 7.10 (52) to 6.9 (45) win.
The Power led by as much as 24 points, 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 Adelaide hung on, despite failing to register a major in the last quarter.
Crows Co-Captain Ebony Marinoff did her best to inspire her side with a game-high 34 disposals and 14 tackles.
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 with, the Power taking a 23-point lead into the final term.
SCOREBOARD
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
