Latest news with #MarkRicciuto
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Put him in a headlock': Mark Ricciuto comes clean on infamous pub brawl
'I won't be putting him in a headlock, that's for sure.' Mark Ricciuto knows a thing or two about Showdowns and the AFL great is fired up for the 57th edition of the bitter clash between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide on Saturday night, exclusive on Fox Footy and Kayo. Port are coming off a 90-point loss but Ricciuto believes form goes out the window in Showdowns, where there is no shortage of feistiness, as the Crows legend and Fox Footy expert knows all too well. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every AFL match this Saturday LIVE. Catch all the action in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Ricciuto was involved in an famous fight the day after Port Adelaide won the 2002 Showdown by eight points — the Power's fourth Showdown victory in a row — when players from both teams kicked on to Adelaide's Ramsgate Hotel. Kane Cornes lifted the lid on the infamous pub brawl in 2020, telling AFL Media Ricciuto and hard nosed Port midfielder Josh Carr went at each other in one of footy's most legendary off-field scuffles. 'A conversation struck up between Mark Ricciuto and Josh Carr when 'Roo' asked Josh Carr if (he) could please join him outside,' Cornes recalled. 'Now Josh Carr was unaware of why Mark Ricciuto wanted him to join him outside of the establishment. But in the end, we know what happened. 'There was some sort of push and shove. Mark Ricciuto says that he chucked Josh Carr over the bonnet of a car. Certainly from the people that I've spoken to, there was a serious headlock placed by Ricciuto on Carr, which forced some of Carr's teammates from Port Adelaide to come over quickly and try and sort this out, because they were worried Carr was going to get strangled. Ricciuto chuckled when asked about the incident and his feelings towards Carr, who will take over Ken Hinkley as Port Adelaide's head coach next season, meaning the old foes will face off again when Ricciuto interviews Carr on Fox Footy. 'I will not be interviewing him (Carr) in a headlock, that's for sure,' Ricciuto told 'But we've got a lot of respect for each other. 'Carr-y' is a great fella. 'I didn't like him at all during my playing career. I didn't like any taggers to be honest when I was in my playing career, but as soon as I finished, there's always a mutual respect, you just don't show it while you're playing. 'You probably pretend you hate him even more than what you really do and then afterwards you kiss and make up and you do that with everyone. Well, I have anyway. 'I'm friends with everyone from Port Adelaide. I don't think I've got any enemies, that I know of anyway.' Ricciuto said time heals all wounds and he wishes nothing but the best for Carr as he becomes a senior AFL coach. 'He's a ripping fellow and I wish him all the best in his coaching career,' Ricciuto said. 'I think it's a great story for Josh to come from where he's come from and to be the next coach of the footy club. I think that's awesome.' 'YOU GO OUT THERE TRYING TO HURT PEOPLE' Showdowns can be seriously fiery contests where players push the line, as was seen last year when Port's Dan Houston bumped Crows star Izak Rankine and knocked him out cold. 'I'm sure Dan Houston didn't try and knock out Izak Rankine last year,' Ricciuto said. 'I'm sure what Houston was trying to do was be tough and put his body on the line for his teammates. That's what he was trying do, he got it slightly wrong. That's what happens. 'So it's a fine line and that's why we love the game.' The 1998 Crows premiership winner added: 'A Showdown is like any big game like a final, grand final — you've got to be careful of doing is not amping it up too much. 'I've absolutely been guilty of that where you get amped up to the eyeballs and you go out there and trying to kill or hurt people and you give away stupid free kicks, and you do the exact opposite of what you really want to do. 'So it's a balance between channeling all your energy and nerves into what you got to do is put all that at the at the ball. 'That's the balance and sometimes, yeah that spills over.' Ricciuto is a longstanding member of Fox Footy's commentary team as well as a Crows board member, and he's used to receiving a fruity reception from fans of both Adelaide teams. 'I've been doing it (commentating) since the day I retired, so I'm pretty good at it, I think,' Ricciuto said. 'If this is an indication of being unbiased or neutral, I do get abused by both sets of supporters. 'So if I check my Twitter or X account and I get abused by both sets of supporters then you know you've been pretty neutral.' As for this weekend's Showdown, Ricciuto is tipping 'the Crows by a point'.
Daily Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Showdown 57: All the news ahead of Port Adelaide and Adelaide's Round 9 clash
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. The question that has hung over the Showdown has finally been answered. Twenty five years after Crows legend Mark Ricciuto won the first Showdown Medal in the seventh encounter between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, a panel chosen by the two clubs have formally recognised those players from the six clashes before then sponsor SA Brewing decided to present a trophy to the winning team - and a medal to the match's best player. Featuring representatives who were involved in the media for the first six Showdowns in the late 1990s, the panel reviewed each of the games to decide who would be retrospectively awarded the medals. Think you're a sports fanatic? Take the test. Play daily trivia for FREE on CODE Sports. Sign up here The question that has hung over the Showdown has finally been answered. Twenty five years after Crows legend Mark Ricciuto won the first Showdown Medal in the seventh encounter between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, a panel chosen by the two clubs have formally recognised those players from the six clashes before then sponsor SA Brewing decided to present a trophy to the winning team - and a medal to the match's best player. Featuring representatives who were involved in the media for the first six Showdowns in the late 1990s, the panel reviewed each of the games to decide who would be retrospectively awarded the medals. 'I suppose it just finalises all the medals now so you can go back in history and go from one to now,' he said. 'We don't have it hanging over it now... it is finalised and it is great to be a part of it.' Ricciuto said it made sense to retrospectively award the six medals. 'They are all worthy winners and great blokes, I get on really well with all the old Port players,' he said. 'The hatred you had when you played, we certainly did in our day, you wouldn't dare talking to the opposition at any stage but after you finish up and retire you quickly realise that most people in footy are good people and you can have a laugh about what happened when you were a bit younger and sillier.' The Crows great and member of the club's board has some of the most experience of them all when it comes to the Showdown, from his playing days and then his long-running stint in the media. He will again be at Adelaide Oval in his role for Fox Footy, which will be showing the stand-alone game as part of its Super Saturday Live coverage on Kayo, and said nothing had changed for him when it came to the Showdown. 'It has never been any different for me, I don't know any different because I was straight out of footy into the commentary box so I have sort of had skin in the game,' he said. 'If social media is any gauge after a game I get abused by both sets of supporters for being biased so that probably means that I am doing a pretty good job of being neutral doesn't it?' Bickley and Francou have also had plenty of experience of the Showdown from the other side of the fence in their respective media roles. The dual-premiership winning captain for the Crows said it had become one of the best rivalries in the AFL. 'I think when the Crows first started it was more South Australia versus Victoria,' he said. 'So then when Port came into the competition the rivalry was real because it was like two local teams going against each other. 'It has turned into one of the best rivalries in the AFL, the games have been super close, they have lots of feeling.' CROWS REJECT FAVOURITES TAG FOR SHOWDOWN Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says there is no more pressure on his side going into this Saturday's Showdown despite the Crows being favourites for the first time since 2019. The Crows come into Showdown 57 above Port Adelaide on the ladder and favoured with bookmakers for the first time since Round 16 in 2019. Last time out they put in one of their best performances if not their best performance of the season to thrash Carlton at Adelaide Oval, while the Power were savaged by the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat. But despite the momentum and external favoritism, Nicks said the Crows wouldn't be changing their approach going into the clash against their fierce rivals. 'No… it is not something we look at,' Nicks said 'Something we have been able to do really well this year is being able to lock in on the process of what is needed for the week, for the moment and our guys are locked in on how to go about that. 'We know our opposition and what is coming up, we just had a meeting of regarding where they are at. 'And we all know the history of Showdowns and how tight they are.' The Power usually respond following a heavy loss and Nicks was expecting that after Port went down to the Dogs by 90-points in its last game. 'That's Port Adelaide, that's what they do very well,' he said. 'They are a competitive team, and they love the battle. 'We are hoping we can bring that, and match that… we have no doubt that they are going to come out and breath fire into every Showdown and we hope they are thinking the same about that.' Mitch Hinge is eligible to return. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images The Crows have a big decision to make with Mitch Hinge available for selection after he missed the win over Carlton through suspension. In his place veteran Brodie Smith returned to the side and played well. At training on Wednesday Smith and Hinge were both with the A's side, and Nicks conceded the Crows had a tough call to make. 'It will be a difficult conversation of Hingey is ready to go, but it is a great position for us to be in,' he said. 'We made four changes last week, three of those forced so to perform the way we did sort of showed where our squad is at.' The Crows have been quiet so far in the lead-up to Saturday's Showdown, after they instigated much of the theatre off the field before the last meeting between the teams. Nicks said they had not addressed it with players and it showed that the group was maturing. 'We haven't spoken about it all,' he said. 'Maybe that is a sign of where our group is at.' Josh Rachele could continue to have some stints in the midfield after he impressed in the role against the Blues, while Nicks said Luke Pedlar was pushing for a return to the side after an impressive performance in the SANFL. Originally published as Showdown 57: All the news ahead of Port Adelaide and Adelaide's Round 9 clash
