IT’S RIVALRY round in the AFL and in South Australia that means it's time, once again, to (completely) isolate ourselves from the rest of the footballing nation and become absorbed in the phenomenon that is the Showdown.

Showdowns are a twice-yearly spectacle in Adelaide, and like the derby or rodeo (or whatever those wacky West Australians call it) in Perth, it’s a game that divides the state.

The week leading up to a Showdown is like no other week in Adelaide.

Supporters of both teams find their voice, no matter where their beloved club is on the ladder, and people with little-to-no interest in the game of Australian football feel obliged to declare their allegiance to one team or the other.

Showdown week signals time for the stereotypical Crows fan to put (another) bottle of champagne on ice, while for Port Adelaide fans (again stereotyped), it’s time to fill their utes with tinnies and six or seven mates and rumble down the road to AAMI Stadium.

On game day all roads lead to West Lakes and the city of Adelaide is at a standstill.

The streets are empty and the heart of every Power and Crows fan is bursting with the hope their team will prevail and secure the bragging rights for six months until the two sides meet again.

The inaugural Showdown took place on April 20, 1997, just a few weeks into Port Adelaide’s first season in the AFL.

The Crows and Power, despite never having played an official game against each other, were already bitter rivals.

The AFL’s decision to grant the Adelaide Crows the first South Australian license left a sour taste in the mouth of Port Adelaide Magpies supporters, who refused to accept the Crows as ‘the team for all South Australians’.

Port Adelaide’s unrivalled SANFL success ensured a love-hate relationship with the state's footy fans, not unlike the current-day Collingwood Magpies in Victoria.

Needless to say when the two sides met on that historic day in April- it was on.

The Crows, who would go on to win the premiership that year, were expected to win and win easily against the cross-town newcomers.

Plucky Port Adelaide fans embraced the underdog status while Adelaide supporters dreaded the potential ramifications of an unlikely loss.

More than 47,000 fans crammed AAMI Stadium to witness Tony (Godra) Modra kick seven goals, Scott Cummings and Rod Jamieson become embroiled in a sparring match and Port Adelaide draw first Showdown blood by 11 points.

For Crows fans, the unthinkable had happened and the proceeding weeks of gloating from Power-loving family and friends were torturous. For the Port Adelaide faithful, it was an endorsement of which team was number one in South Australia.

But Adelaide didn’t have to wait long for retribution.

Later that same year, in just the second-ever Showdown, the Crows overcame wet and windy conditions to level the score at one game-a-piece.

The Showdown culture grew over the next few years as the teams battled it out in what were typically tight, hard and closely contested games.

Brownlow Medallist Mark Ricciuto emerged as a Showdown specialist with one of his most memorable games coming in Adelaide’s first emphatic win against the Power in round 19, 1998.

Ricciuto amassed more than 40 touches and booted four goals in the Crows’ 74-point victory.

It was Ricciuto’s continued dominance in Showdowns that prompted Power coach Mark Williams to put serial pest Josh Carr on the Crows' superstar in round five, 2002.

Carr got the better of Ricciuto that evening as Port Adelaide crept to a thrilling eight-point win, but it was the battle between the two onballers the next night that went down as Showdown folklore.

Players from both teams were drinking at a local watering hole, the Ramsgate Hotel, when a heated discussion between Carr and Ricciuto turned physical.

The scuffle, reportedly involving as many as 25 players, created a media frenzy in Adelaide and resulted in club-issued penalties.

Stories emerging from the bar suggested that, while Adelaide might have lost the game that weekend - they certainly didn’t lose the fight.

The ‘Ramsgate affair’ ensured more fiery on-field encounters, but possibly the biggest-ever build up to a Showdown came in the semi-finals of 2005, when the two sides battled it out in what was dubbed the ‘Ultimate Showdown’.

Port Adelaide enjoyed a Showdown dominancy winning seven in a row between 2000 and 2003, but the Crows under Neil Craig had claimed both games against the Power that year.

More than 50,000 people packed AAMI Stadium to watch Adelaide storm to victory, and into the preliminary final, by 83 points in the high-stakes game.

Crows fans maintain the ‘Ultimate Showdown’ was their team’s sweetest-ever victory over Port Adelaide, while Power supporters refer back to the inaugural Showdown as their most memorable triumph.

Sunday’s game at AAMI Stadium will mark the 24th Showdown between the two sides.

Adelaide, which will start favourites after a solid win against West Coast, has a chance to square the Showdown ledger at 12-a-piece, but as players from both teams will tell you, previous form counts for nothing leading into a Showdown.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.