Adelaide AFLW Senior Coach Matthew Clarke says facing crosstown rivals Port Adelaide in an opening round Showdown is a perfect opportunity to showcase the women’s game.
The Crows kick off their new AFLW campaign against the Power at Alberton on Saturday night, almost nine months after Adelaide’s 2023 season ended.
The AFLW Showdown history is still in its infancy, with the upcoming game set to be the third time the two teams face off, but Clarke says the rivalry cannot be underestimated.
“The rivalry is real, a great part of being involved in footy in South Australia is that our teams get to compete in these occasions,” Clarke said.
“You want intense rivalries in sport… It’s those contests that draw people into the game and we want to do everything we can to promote AFLW.
“We think it’s an amazing product, we think it’s getting better and better every year.
“If we can leverage a Showdown to highlight that even further, then all the better.”
The Crows’ 2023 campaign ended with a heartbreaking one-point loss to North Melbourne in the Preliminary Final but Clarke was confident his side had left no stone unturned as it looked to go further this year.
“It’s been a really long off-season and pre-season, so we are pretty happy with where we sit in terms of our preparation,” Clarke said.
“We are always looking to improve and there’s lots of things we can improve on but in terms of the method and the way we want to play it’s not dramatically different.
“Our players’ dedication and diligence hasn’t changed over the time I’ve been involved, so each time we’ve got to this point in the season I’ve always felt really comfortable and confident that we couldn't have done much more.
“That gives us a piece of mind that ultimately we’ve done everything we can, turned over every stone and we’re ready to go.”
The Crows have won the past two AFLW Showdowns but Clarke was expecting a tough challenge this weekend.
“I think we’ll see continued growth (from Port Adelaide). They’ve had pretty good access to talent over the past two trade and draft periods,” Clarke said.
“They’ve got some exceptional young talent on their list and it’s well complemented by their ability to acquire players through trade.
“Their list looks really good and therefore they’ll continue to improve, so our challenge is to make sure we continue to improve that little bit more.”
Adelaide will face Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Saturday at 7.15pm.
The best way to secure tickets is to buy a 2024 Crows AFLW Membership here.
