WHOEVER suggested South Australia's showdowns had lost their fighting qualities was wrong as Adelaide produced one of its grittiest performances to beat Port Adelaide by six points at AAMI Stadium yesterday.

Going into the last quarter with only 17 fit men, and just a five-point lead, the Crows defied the odds and triumphed in adversity.

It was probably the best of the 24 showdowns because of its intensity and never-say-die spirit of both sides. It was loaded with bruising encounters, and indeed skills, and in a game where goals were incredibly hard to manufacture, this was a great effort.

The courage was perhaps best depicted when Adelaide's Scott Thompson was crunched between two Port players, but stood up, took the bumps and worked the ball forward.

Yet, for all of Adelaide's toughness, Port, which was labelled soft during the week, was equal to the task when it came to character and tenacity.

Significantly, it was Adelaide's new breed who sparked the win. Bernie Vince, playing only his 13th game, and David Mackay, his third, were terrific under pressure. Richard Douglas was very good, too, and when he burst clear of Shaun Burgoyne — which is no mean feat — and goaled, he jumped in the air and pumped his fists. The energy was passed on to the older blokes.

For the most part, Andrew McLeod was well-held and the Crows were denied his flair and creativity, and Brett Burton struggled to get a kick.

But you can't keep good players down all of the time, and it was the strong influence of McLeod and Burton in the crucial stages of the last quarter that saved Adelaide.

Typically, Port fought bravely until the end, and when Burgoyne kicked two late goals to get Port within 12 points, a sense of fear swept most of the 45,524 crowd. And when Daniel Motlop goaled at the 28-minute mark, a draw was a real possibility.

When Port looked like clearing through a free kick to Justin Westhoff with a minute to go, the kick was reversed and the Crows wasted enough time.

Adelaide won because of its better system moving into attack. Port almost won because of its superiority, especially in the first half, around the stoppages. Ultimately, the Crows were better under the extreme pressure.

Port lacked key forwards. Warren Tredrea battled hard, but the reality was that he finished with 10 kicks, three marks and kicked only two behinds. Brett Ebert's form is a real concern — he had only seven kicks, and also scored 0.2, while Westhoff, although very competitive, also struggled and scored just a solitary behind.

For Port to score 0.5 from the three forwards who were largely responsible for its success last season was a crucial factor. And their task was made easier when Nathan Bassett was carried off in the second term, and Kris Massie was sidelined in the third with a hamstring strain.

Vince deservingly picked up the Showdown Medal for his outstanding performance. In the opening round, he coughed up the ball with a bad pass at a crucial stage, giving the Western Bulldogs an easy goal, and they followed it up with another. For a young player to rebound in style was yet another example of how the Crows have changed. It's no longer just about the old brigade. The Crows' win tied the showdowns at 12-all.

ADELAIDE 2.3 4.8 8.11 12.13 (85)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.3 4.7 7.12 11.13 (79) Goodwin 3, Douglas 3, Vince 2, Burton, McLeod, Edwards, Griffin. Port Adelaide S Burgoyne 4, C Cornes 2, Motlop 2, Boak, Rodan, Brogan.

GOALS Adelaide

BEST Adelaide Vince, Thompson, Edwards, Johncock, Goodwin. Port Adelaide P Burgoyne, C Cornes, K Cornes, Surjan, Brogan, Chaplin.

INJURIES Adelaide: Bassett (concussion), Massie (hamstring), Griffin (back), Jericho (concussion), Porplyzia (shoulder).

Port Adelaide: Rodan (hamstring).

REPORTS Thomas (Port) for alleged rough contact against Bassett (Adelaide) during second quarter.

UMPIRES Vozzo, Fila, Meredith.

CROWD 45,524 at AAMI Stadium.