Roar Guru
The Adelaide Crows defeated the Port Adelaide Power by three points at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Adelaide Crows 13.18.96
Port Adelaide Power 14.9.93
The top-four hopes of Port Adelaide heavily lay on another highly anticipated showdown between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power. Join The Roar for live scores and blog of the encounter, starting from 4:35pm AEST.
The respective seasons of the Crows and Power have taken divergent paths to this point.
Adelaide entered 2018 with high expectations and equal amounts of anticipation. Following their demolition of Richmond in round two, the Crows looked ominous. However, the wheels quickly fell off.
A 5-point loss the last time these two met – in Round 8 – ignited an almighty dip in form. Injuries to key players and pervasive form slumps blunted their recognisable potency.
Recent wins against Geelong and West Coast have indicated the Crows are recovering elements of their formidable selves.
However, the Crows midfield is yet to return to their lofty standards. Over the last three weeks, the Crows have unsustainably lost the clearance count by an average of 15 clearances per game.
In contrast, the Power appears to be comfortably placed inside the top-eight and with a good chance of assuring a double chance come September.
However, a gutsy win against the Bulldogs at the inhospitable MARS Stadium last week only temporarily halted the questions on their top-eight merits.
The Power have the second-worst percentage in the top-eight and are only the 13th offensive team in the competition, highlighting their issues.
Port Adelaide has one of the most challenging runs homes in the competition. The showdown is followed by matches against West Coast, Collingwood, and Essendon.
Paddy Ryder is Port Adelaide’s most important player, and his fitness has been a question all season. If he can stay fit throughout the rest of the season, Port Adelaide is an excellent chance of pushing deep into September.
The contest between Charlie Dixon and Daniel Talia will have a massive impact on the match. Dixon is undoubtedly the Power’s most potent forward target, and if Talia can neutralise his influence, the Power may struggle to kick a winning score. Conversely, if Dixon can get on top of that contest, he could single-handedly kick Port to victory.
Join The Roar for live scores and blog of the match between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power in Round 18 of the 2018 AFL Season at the Adelaide on Saturday twilight, starting from 4:35pm AEST.