Adelaide v Port Adelaide Preview, Adelaide Oval

The South Australians finally get their prime-time, free-to-air Showdown. The battle of the
city of churches has consistently been one of the best rivalries during the last 25 years. Port
will be without defender Aliir Aliir (concussion) and forward Sam Powell-Pepper, who has
been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. But
Power captain Connor Rozee incredibly remains a chance to face the Crows despite hurting
his hamstring in the win over St KIlda last Friday night. Adelaide will unleash prized draft pick
Daniel Curtin, who is expected to fill the Crows’ defensive void. It promises to be another
thriller at the Adelaide Oval.

TIP: Adelaide by 4 points, Jordan Dawson to have 25 or more possessions and kick a goal

The Showdown never gets old. And right now, the gap between these two clubs tells its own story.

Adelaide has been one of the form sides of the season sitting 13-5 and playing the kind of footy that makes AFL betting tips lean pretty heavily in their favour heading into any match, let alone a Showdown. Their win over Port in Round 9 by five points was tight, but the more recent meeting in Round 20 wasn’t even close. The Crows ran over the Power by nearly 100 points, a margin that shocked even their own supporters. That’s the largest winning margin in Showdown history, and it happened at Adelaide Oval with Riley Thilthorpe dominant all night.

Port, sitting at 8-10, has had a rough run. Key losses to the Bulldogs and Fremantle by big margins mid-season hurt their percentage badly. Ken Hinkley’s last Showdown as coach saw his side outclassed, and while the Power showed some bounce-back form – beating Melbourne and GWS in back-to-back weeks – they’ve looked shaky when it matters.

For AFL betting predictions, the Crows are hard to go past at home. Jordan Dawson has been pulling the strings in the midfield all year, and with Daniel Curtin growing into his role in defence, Adelaide have structure that Port have struggled to break down. If you’re looking at AFL Expert Tips for this fixture, Thilthorpe kicking multiple goals and the Crows covering the line feels like the play. Worth cross-referencing with NRL betting odds sites if you’re building a multi but standalone, Adelaide looks the value.