There’ll be no more AFL footy played in South Australia this season as both Port Adelaide and Adelaide’s seasons wrapped up following Saturday’s Showdown.
With the rivals both missing the eight, both clubs will be desperate to attack the off-season with vigour as they hope to rebound up the ladder in 2023.
While Port Adelaide would’ve been pleased with sending off club great Robbie Gray with the 111-55 win, the match itself failed to live up to the hype after plenty of talk from both sides circulated in the media pre-game.
After Power stars Ollie Wines and Tom Jonas both called out their crosstown rivals as entitled and arrogant, many expected a big response from Matthew Nicks’ team as a result.
Considering the Crows barely gave a yelp in the big game, SEN’s Miles Pfitzner called out both teams for playing without aggression and fire despite the pre-match war of words.
“Port and the Crows had a war of words during the week,” Pfitzner said on SEN.
“Tom Jonas came out and said the Crows are arrogant and entitled and then Ollie Wines came out and said the same thing.
“The Crows then came out and said Port were playing uncontested football, everything shapes up to be a blockbuster with a bit of fire and to send off Robbie Gray in the cross-town rivalry.
“But I’ve never seen two teams just roll up and not fly the flag for their club and stand up for themselves ever.”
As Pfitzner felt both teams simply went through the motions, he believes that’s proof of the Showdown not being the AFL’s biggest rivalry as he pointed to last weekend’s fiery Western Derby which saw Fremantle and West Coast come to blows in a hotly contested match.
“They want to talk up the Showdown as the biggest rivalry in AFL football, no way,” Pfitzner said.
“You may as well watch a pre-season, game, that’s what that was.
“Pressure? The Adelaide Crows got absolutely wiped off the map, not one person – Tex Walker, what’s the point of you being there? At least go and fly the flag for your club.
“West Coast Eagles did it against Fremantle, they were going to get belted, but they said, ‘You know what, we’re in a (Western) Derby and we’re not going to lay down here’.
“The Crows, pathetic, Port Adelaide, they celebrate like they won a Grand Final, they were talking that they were going to win a Grand Final, they’re pathetic, they’re both in the bin.
“Absolute disgrace.”
Port Adelaide and Adelaide finished in 11th and 14th place respectively as they now look ahead to season 2023.