Latest news with #Showdowns
The Age
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Coast with the most: Suns turn tables on premiers Brisbane in crucial Q-Clash romp
Latest posts Latest posts 4.52pm Suns turn tables on premiers in crucial Queensland romp Gold Coast have shrugged Brisbane's Q-Clash chokehold and cemented their top-eight standing with a historic 66-point win. The Suns had lost 12 of the past 13 Queensland derbies to the defending premiers. But on Saturday, with a maiden finals berth on the radar, the hosts called the shots in a 20.10 (130) to 9.10 (64) romp at a wet People First Stadium. Victory, in front of 20,833 fans, was the Suns' biggest over their local rivals, while their 12th win this season is a club-high. Captain Noah Anderson (33 touches) did the early damage, while ruckman Jarrod Witts dominated, and coach Damien Hardwick's bold selection calls were vindicated. Victory pushed the Suns (12-6), who have a game in hand, to seventh in a congested top eight, while the Lions (13-5-1) missed a chance to at least briefly occupy top spot. Matt Rowell (37 touches, 14 clearances, 12 tackles) won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal, and the recalled Alex Davies (30 touches, 10 tackles) flipped the script on the usually dominant Lions midfield. Jy Farrar (three goals) enjoyed his first AFL game since late 2023, Ben Long rediscovered his early-season form with four majors, and Bailey Humphrey (three goals, eight tackles) also shone. The Lions' Ashcroft brothers Will and Levi were well held, while Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley and Hugh McCluggage suffered a rare engine-room loss. Victory gave the Suns a 2-1 record against the competition's top three sides in their past three games, Gold Coast now with just one top-eight opponent in their final five regular-season games. Meanwhile, the premiers next travel to the MCG to face table-topping Collingwood as part of a tough run to September. AAP 3.53pm Crows want to power on By Jon Pierik The Crows have won four straight, and have vowed to maintain the rage in Showdown 58. There will be plenty of emotion for the Power, for this is Ken Hinkley's last Showdown, and the Power, out of the finals race, will be keen to impact the premiership aspirations of their cross-town rivals. But Crows coach Matthew Nicks insists his men will be ready for what awaits. 'We don't [change our mindset], we'll approach this game like we have every game this year, a strength of ours this year has been staying focused on the now and the moment – this is just a bigger moment,' Nicks said. 'We'll acknowledge the moment, we'll enjoy the big stage and the different challenges that will present us – you have to embrace those big moments, and it doesn't get any bigger in Adelaide than a Showdown. 'But that doesn't change how we prepare, and we will back in our process to get the job done.' Nicks was once an assistant to Hinkley at the Power. 'I remember all of those Showdown memories [alongside Ken], I was in the box in 2018 when Stevie Motlop kicked that winner, back in 2013 [the Monfries bounce] I think I was the runner,' Nicks said. 'So, it will be [hard to imagine Showdowns without Ken], we had a little chat on the way in, and it's an unusual feeling knowing that my opposition coach won't be there next year. 'Ken's had a lot of success across the journey, and I've learnt a hell of a lot from him in my time as a coach, so it's always exciting to put myself to the test in these Showdowns. 'For me, going up against a person I've always had so much respect for, it's a challenge I've really enjoyed. I learned so much from Ken in the period of time I worked underneath him, and it will be sad to see him go.'
The Advertiser
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Showdowns: Hinkley loves them but won't miss them
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cherishes Showdowns, but won't miss them. Hinkley will coach against arch rival Adelaide for the 25th and final time on Saturday night. "As much as everyone says that they're good for the state, they're not so good for the coaches or the players," he told reporters on Wednesday. "There's a bit of heat on. "... When you lose in this town in a Showdown - a little bit different. You drive in dark at night, you don't go out in daylight when you lose." The Crows edge Port 29-28 overall and Hinkley, who will hand over to assistant Josh Carr at season's end, has won 11 and lost 13. Hinkley acknowledged his injury-ravaged Power would be rank underdogs against the Crows, sitting third and heading to the finals for the first time since 2017. "Without pumping them up too much, that's not something Port tend to do, they're the form team of the competition," Hinkley said. And he had nothing but admiration for Matthew Nicks, a former assistant at Port now in his sixth season as Crows coach. "He has done nothing but support me in his time with us, he went on and created his own career with some courage," Hinkley said, flanked by Nicks at a joint media conference at Adelaide Oval. "I have just admired the way that he's had to be as resilient as he has been. "Matthew should be so proud of what he has done, to be as strong and as gutsy as he has been, I reckon, over the last few years. "It will hurt me to say: I'm glad to see him doing well." Nicks said it would be strange when Hinkley isn't involved in a Showdown next year. "It will be ... it's an unsual feeling sitting here knowing that your opposition coach won't be there next year," Nicks said. "I learnt so much from him in the period of time I worked underneath him and it will be sad to see him go." The Crows are seeking five consecutive wins for the first time under Nicks, who dismissed growing attention on his team as a premiership contender. "It's not even something that has crossed our mind," he said. "The reality is, it's there and it's noise. "But we're just locked in, we're looking at Ken and his group, trying to work through how do we continue the form we're in. "It's not easy to keep momentum and have that belief that we have at this point in time. We know how quickly that can change." Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cherishes Showdowns, but won't miss them. Hinkley will coach against arch rival Adelaide for the 25th and final time on Saturday night. "As much as everyone says that they're good for the state, they're not so good for the coaches or the players," he told reporters on Wednesday. "There's a bit of heat on. "... When you lose in this town in a Showdown - a little bit different. You drive in dark at night, you don't go out in daylight when you lose." The Crows edge Port 29-28 overall and Hinkley, who will hand over to assistant Josh Carr at season's end, has won 11 and lost 13. Hinkley acknowledged his injury-ravaged Power would be rank underdogs against the Crows, sitting third and heading to the finals for the first time since 2017. "Without pumping them up too much, that's not something Port tend to do, they're the form team of the competition," Hinkley said. And he had nothing but admiration for Matthew Nicks, a former assistant at Port now in his sixth season as Crows coach. "He has done nothing but support me in his time with us, he went on and created his own career with some courage," Hinkley said, flanked by Nicks at a joint media conference at Adelaide Oval. "I have just admired the way that he's had to be as resilient as he has been. "Matthew should be so proud of what he has done, to be as strong and as gutsy as he has been, I reckon, over the last few years. "It will hurt me to say: I'm glad to see him doing well." Nicks said it would be strange when Hinkley isn't involved in a Showdown next year. "It will be ... it's an unsual feeling sitting here knowing that your opposition coach won't be there next year," Nicks said. "I learnt so much from him in the period of time I worked underneath him and it will be sad to see him go." The Crows are seeking five consecutive wins for the first time under Nicks, who dismissed growing attention on his team as a premiership contender. "It's not even something that has crossed our mind," he said. "The reality is, it's there and it's noise. "But we're just locked in, we're looking at Ken and his group, trying to work through how do we continue the form we're in. "It's not easy to keep momentum and have that belief that we have at this point in time. We know how quickly that can change." Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cherishes Showdowns, but won't miss them. Hinkley will coach against arch rival Adelaide for the 25th and final time on Saturday night. "As much as everyone says that they're good for the state, they're not so good for the coaches or the players," he told reporters on Wednesday. "There's a bit of heat on. "... When you lose in this town in a Showdown - a little bit different. You drive in dark at night, you don't go out in daylight when you lose." The Crows edge Port 29-28 overall and Hinkley, who will hand over to assistant Josh Carr at season's end, has won 11 and lost 13. Hinkley acknowledged his injury-ravaged Power would be rank underdogs against the Crows, sitting third and heading to the finals for the first time since 2017. "Without pumping them up too much, that's not something Port tend to do, they're the form team of the competition," Hinkley said. And he had nothing but admiration for Matthew Nicks, a former assistant at Port now in his sixth season as Crows coach. "He has done nothing but support me in his time with us, he went on and created his own career with some courage," Hinkley said, flanked by Nicks at a joint media conference at Adelaide Oval. "I have just admired the way that he's had to be as resilient as he has been. "Matthew should be so proud of what he has done, to be as strong and as gutsy as he has been, I reckon, over the last few years. "It will hurt me to say: I'm glad to see him doing well." Nicks said it would be strange when Hinkley isn't involved in a Showdown next year. "It will be ... it's an unsual feeling sitting here knowing that your opposition coach won't be there next year," Nicks said. "I learnt so much from him in the period of time I worked underneath him and it will be sad to see him go." The Crows are seeking five consecutive wins for the first time under Nicks, who dismissed growing attention on his team as a premiership contender. "It's not even something that has crossed our mind," he said. "The reality is, it's there and it's noise. "But we're just locked in, we're looking at Ken and his group, trying to work through how do we continue the form we're in. "It's not easy to keep momentum and have that belief that we have at this point in time. We know how quickly that can change."
Perth Now
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Showdowns: Hinkley loves them but won't miss them
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cherishes Showdowns, but won't miss them. Hinkley will coach against arch rival Adelaide for the 25th and final time on Saturday night. "As much as everyone says that they're good for the state, they're not so good for the coaches or the players," he told reporters on Wednesday. "There's a bit of heat on. "... When you lose in this town in a Showdown - a little bit different. You drive in dark at night, you don't go out in daylight when you lose." The Crows edge Port 29-28 overall and Hinkley, who will hand over to assistant Josh Carr at season's end, has won 11 and lost 13. Hinkley acknowledged his injury-ravaged Power would be rank underdogs against the Crows, sitting third and heading to the finals for the first time since 2017. "Without pumping them up too much, that's not something Port tend to do, they're the form team of the competition," Hinkley said. And he had nothing but admiration for Matthew Nicks, a former assistant at Port now in his sixth season as Crows coach. "He has done nothing but support me in his time with us, he went on and created his own career with some courage," Hinkley said, flanked by Nicks at a joint media conference at Adelaide Oval. "I have just admired the way that he's had to be as resilient as he has been. "Matthew should be so proud of what he has done, to be as strong and as gutsy as he has been, I reckon, over the last few years. "It will hurt me to say: I'm glad to see him doing well." Nicks said it would be strange when Hinkley isn't involved in a Showdown next year. "It will be ... it's an unsual feeling sitting here knowing that your opposition coach won't be there next year," Nicks said. "I learnt so much from him in the period of time I worked underneath him and it will be sad to see him go." The Crows are seeking five consecutive wins for the first time under Nicks, who dismissed growing attention on his team as a premiership contender. "It's not even something that has crossed our mind," he said. "The reality is, it's there and it's noise. "But we're just locked in, we're looking at Ken and his group, trying to work through how do we continue the form we're in. "It's not easy to keep momentum and have that belief that we have at this point in time. We know how quickly that can change."
The Advertiser
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Port plan to land punch on finals-bound Crows
Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee wants to carry a broken hand into battle and land a proverbial blow on arch rival Adelaide's finals ambitions. Rozee plans to return for Saturday night's Showdown of the South Australian rivals, pending how his left hand copes with midweek training. "It will be a pain threshold sort of injury, it's a broken bone so there is always going to be a little bit there," Rozee told reporters on Monday. "We'll reassess after we finish training on Wednesday ... at the moment, the plan is to play." The 11th-placed Power are out of finals contention but the Crows will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Adelaide hold third spot but are far from settled - they're one win from top spot but also one win from seventh - with Port hoping to dent their run to the finals. "That will be the plan pretty much every week from now on," Rozee said. "Any scalp that we can take will be a building block for the future. "There's always emotion in Showdowns. The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years." Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee wants to carry a broken hand into battle and land a proverbial blow on arch rival Adelaide's finals ambitions. Rozee plans to return for Saturday night's Showdown of the South Australian rivals, pending how his left hand copes with midweek training. "It will be a pain threshold sort of injury, it's a broken bone so there is always going to be a little bit there," Rozee told reporters on Monday. "We'll reassess after we finish training on Wednesday ... at the moment, the plan is to play." The 11th-placed Power are out of finals contention but the Crows will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Adelaide hold third spot but are far from settled - they're one win from top spot but also one win from seventh - with Port hoping to dent their run to the finals. "That will be the plan pretty much every week from now on," Rozee said. "Any scalp that we can take will be a building block for the future. "There's always emotion in Showdowns. The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years." Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee wants to carry a broken hand into battle and land a proverbial blow on arch rival Adelaide's finals ambitions. Rozee plans to return for Saturday night's Showdown of the South Australian rivals, pending how his left hand copes with midweek training. "It will be a pain threshold sort of injury, it's a broken bone so there is always going to be a little bit there," Rozee told reporters on Monday. "We'll reassess after we finish training on Wednesday ... at the moment, the plan is to play." The 11th-placed Power are out of finals contention but the Crows will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Adelaide hold third spot but are far from settled - they're one win from top spot but also one win from seventh - with Port hoping to dent their run to the finals. "That will be the plan pretty much every week from now on," Rozee said. "Any scalp that we can take will be a building block for the future. "There's always emotion in Showdowns. The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years."
Perth Now
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Port plan to land punch on finals-bound Crows
Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee wants to carry a broken hand into battle and land a proverbial blow on arch rival Adelaide's finals ambitions. Rozee plans to return for Saturday night's Showdown of the South Australian rivals, pending how his left hand copes with midweek training. "It will be a pain threshold sort of injury, it's a broken bone so there is always going to be a little bit there," Rozee told reporters on Monday. "We'll reassess after we finish training on Wednesday ... at the moment, the plan is to play." The 11th-placed Power are out of finals contention but the Crows will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Adelaide hold third spot but are far from settled - they're one win from top spot but also one win from seventh - with Port hoping to dent their run to the finals. "That will be the plan pretty much every week from now on," Rozee said. "Any scalp that we can take will be a building block for the future. "There's always emotion in Showdowns. The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years."
