Riley Thilthorpe celebrates a goal during the R20 match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on July 27, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

ADELAIDE has quite literally rained on Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley’s parade, demolishing the Power by 98 points in the coach’s last Showdown at a sodden Adelaide Oval.

The Crows temporarily occupy top spot on the ladder after yet another percentage-boosting victory, with Riley Thilthorpe booting three goals to secure his first Showdown Medal in the 20.13 (133) to 5.5 (35) win, the largest in AFL history between the two sides.

CROWS v POWER Full match coverage and stats

Adelaide is the in-form side of the competition, and signs had looked worrying for the Power when Miles Bergman kicked off the game by delivering a sizzling pass into the opposition forward line.

Port Adelaide’s undersized defence were struggling against the triple-prong forward line of Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty, and the inside 50s were piling up, but the Crows were unable to take full advantage with some inaccurate efforts.

The Power kicked three quick goals just before the first break – the final of the trio a stunning slips mark and needle-threader from Jed McEntee – but that was Hinkley’s side’s last hurrah for the next one-and-a-half quarters.

The rain came down in earnest in the second term, and soccers, torps and ponchos on the hill were the order of the night, with wet conditions for the rest of the match.

Connor Rozee had come into the game under an injury cloud with a broken hand, but proved his mettle with a number of smothers of a heavy, water-logged ball. 

It was to no avail as Adelaide found moments of composure in the heavy downpour, kicking four goals for the term – including an absolute bullet from the boot of Thilthorpe – to take a handy 29-point lead into the main break.

Rozee was moved into the middle to start the third term, swapping with Bergman, but he may as well have stayed at half-back such was the weight of numbers living in Adelaide’s forward half.

The Crows were well-structured and disciplined behind the footy, setting up perfectly to lock the ball in their attacking half, and clearing the ball calmly in tough conditions, led by Rory Laird and Wayne Milera.

Zak Butters tried his heart out with a game-high 12 clearances, Aliir Aliir battled really hard, but the most telling stat was that the Power had only taken two marks inside 50 at the start of the fourth term.

Jake Soligo (35 disposals, two goals) and Jordan Dawson (21 and one) worked hard through the midfield for the Crows, while Ben Keays (three goals) was a constant, buzzing threat across half-forward and strong linking player.

Important Adelaide lockdown defender Max Michalanney was subbed out in the third term with a hamstring injury, while Lachie Jones’ night ended early with a corkie, having battled fairly well against a much taller Fogarty up until that point.

Hinkley confirmed post-match that Lukosius had “given his calf a bit of a tweak”.

An absolutely Th(r)il-ing performance
Big men aren’t meant to thrive in the wet. But Thilthorpe was a class above in the pouring rain, running hard on the soggy field and blunting Aliir’s intercepting power. He kicked three goals for the game – the first and third at key points in the night – and took away his first Showdown Medal, having led the Crows’ disposal count at half-time when the game had been in the balance. He finished with 19 disposals, seven hitouts, six clearances and the three majors.

Reilly O’Brien kicks a snap goal
He really didn’t want to, and tried to give the ball off to Keays three times, but the big ruck managed to kick a checkside set shot in the third term, much to the absolute delight of his teammates. The umpire re-set the mark three times as the recently re-signed O’Brien attempted to handball to Keays, but he didn’t need to in the end.

Reilly O’Brien is swarmed after kicking a goal during the R20 match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on July 26, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

ADELAIDE                   3.6     7.8     12.11     20.13     (133)
PORT ADELAIDE     3.1     3.3     5.3     5.5     (35)

GOALS
Adelaide: Thilthorpe 3, Walker 3, Keays 3, Berry 2, Soligo 2, Neal-Bullen, Peatling, Rankine, Dawson, O’Brien, Pedlar, Fogarty
Port Adelaide: McEntee 2, Mead, Sweet, Georgiades

BEST
Adelaide: Thilthorpe, Soligo, Dawson, Peatling, O’Brien, Laird
Port Adelaide: Butters, Aliir, Jones, Rozee

INJURIES
Adelaide: Michalanney (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Jones (corked leg), Lukosius (calf)

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Chayce Jones (replaced Max Michalanney in the third term)
Port Adelaide: Hugh Jackson (replaced Lachie Jones in the third term)

Crowd: 46,018 at Adelaide Oval