Rankine’s Magic Sees Adelaide Home in Showdown Classic
Izak Rankine is a superstar.
It’s the game that splits South Australia in two and football’s fiercest rivalry was back on full display at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday Night.
In a seesawing battle that had nine lead changes, it was Adelaide who won by 5 points.
After a two point lead at Three-Quarter-Time to the Crows, the battle resumed in the last and for five minutes, both teams threw everything at each other as neither gave an inch. Then came Fogarty and his third, as the Crows cut Port down first.
Max Michalanney was instrumental as he hit Reilly O’Brien, who gave it across to Izak Rankine, and went running to solute from 40 metres.
O’Brien and Rankine weren’t down combining yet, it was O’Brien’s ruck tap that got the Crows flying forward. Fogarty dropped the chest mark in the forward line, but Rankine added something special as he swung a leg at the football to kick his second goal.
Rankine had gone from the forgotten man to the hero at West Lakes inside 15 minutes, as he proved to everyone that when the game was on the line, he was the one to stand up.
Rankine had been unsighted to three-quarter-time, only having 11 disposals and next-to-no impact, but when he was needed most he emerged to win the game off his own boot.
Port spend the rest of the quarter locked in their own forward line as they fired shot after shot. The Power saw shots from Miles Bergman, Jason Horne-Francis, and Joe Richards, but no one troubled the majors column.
Christian Moraes then launched on a Wayne Milera mistake, and came running through the centre of the Adelaide Oval. He gave it to Mitch Georgiades, but when he fired wide and missed, 23 minutes had already passed, and the margin was three goals.
Enter Darcy Byrne-Jones.
Rory Laird threw the football out of a pack and Byrne-Jones kicked a goal from the free kick. Two goals the difference.
Still the footy remained locked in Port’s front half. A rushed behind saw the margin cut to 11, and then Rozee cut it 10.
Jeremy Finlayson goaled and the margin was back to one single kick.
Mark Keane and Reilly O’Brien took two intercept marks to stop the Power inside Port’s forward 50.
The final siren sounded, and the Crows won Showdown 57. The Crows now have 28 wins to Port’s 27.
All night, it was the battle of Port’s inside grit was Adelaide’s outside run. Port were led by Connor Rozee and Zak Butters. For the Crows, Riley Thilthorpe, and later, Izak Rankine were the shining lights.
In the first five minutes of the game, Adelaide was looking at a Power outage. The Crows were doing a real number on Port, but without much reward on the scoreboard. However, that would change when Josh Rachele sent through his first.
The Crows were lethal with their ball movement. Riley Thilthorpe kicked another as the Crows found a two goal buffer at the midway stage of the quarter.
The Alberton generator finally started at the midway point of the opening stanza, Jeremy Finlayson finally got his midfield some reward for their efforts, and then Mitch Georgiades gave the Power a wet sail.
Despite the teams being sworn enemies, they both decided to gift each other goals. It was Butters and Rory Laird who gave away 50 metre penalties to Byrne-Jones and Rankine.
It was just three points when the first break came, and Showdown 57 was living up to the hype that follows these two bitter rivals.
Miles Bergman was given the job on Crows captain, Jordan Dawson, and he was doing a stella job at quarter-time. Dawson was sitting at three disposals, meanwhile Bergman was equal second on the ground with six disposals.
Sam Powell-Pepper then hit the scoreboard to start the second quarter. The footy bouncing in just the right fashion for the Power’s number two.
Port Adelaide’s midfield was unbelievable, winning clearance after clearance. Rozee was instrumental for the Power, while the Crows continued to generate off half back.
Port Adelaide were looking to be unselfish, Jason Horne-Francis was trapped in the forward pocket, and he had to turn backwards to go forward. He found Sam Powell-Pepper, and the running Ryan Burton was given the football as he took one step and kicked a bomb from the area.
Finlayson had kicked his third goal of the game to put Port back ahead, but on half time, Josh Rachele put the Crows back in front.
The hostiles resumed shortly after the second half began. Mark Keane got reported for kicking. Connor Rozee then added a goal to his impressive game, before Powell-Pepper got the lead out to eight points.
Ben Keays then kicked a goal after Fogarty hit him lace out, as the Crows pegged the Power back. Darcy Fogarty extended the lead again.
Jason Horne-Francis then kicked a miracle goal from deep in the forward pocket, as the third of the Rozee, Butters and JHF trio had his say on the contest.
Then came the crazy final term, as the Crows won out. Connor Rozee won the Showdown Medal.
Power: 3.1 7.3 10.6 12.12.84
Crows: 3.4 7.8 10.8 13.11.89
Goalkickers:
Power:
Finalyson, (3), Byrne-Jones, (2), Georgiades, (2), Powell-Pepper, (2), Burton, Horne-Francis, Rozee
Crows:
Fogarty, (3), Thilthorpe, (3), Keays, (2), Rachele, (2), Rankine, (2), Neal-Bullen
Best:
Power:
Butters, Rozee, Wines
Crows:
Peatling, Rankine, Thilthorpe
Hub Adelaide’s Showdown Medal Votes, (not part of the official count):
3 Riley Thilthorpe, (Crows)
2 Connor Rozee, (Port)
1 Izak Rankine, (Crows)
Crowd: 53 117