Adelaide’s defenders, led by Showdown Medalist Alex Keath, held their nerve on Saturday night for a hardfought 20-point win in Showdown 46.
Keath was instrumental with a round-high 12 intercept possessions and career-best hauls of 26 touches, 14 contested possessions and seven rebound-50s.
The former cricketer looked closer to a 100-gamer with smooth work at ground level with a game-high six groundball gets and five effective spoils.
He was not the only defender to shine on the night, Daniel Talia had an impact with 10 spoils (eight effective).
Talia even battled through a heavy knock to the nose late in the game to add five marks and seven contested possessions from his 13 touches.
Workhorse half-back Rory Laird set-up numerous opportunities throughout the game from his team-high 31 disposals.
Laird had 12 intercept possessions, eight inside-50s and six rebound-50s, tallying a season-best 14 contested possessions.
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Like much of his career, Luke Brown played an effective role in his first game for 2019 following ankle surgery.
Brown registered 18 possessions at a 94.4 per cent disposal efficiency and with four marks, six rebound-50s looked incredibly comfortable back on the big stage.
At the other end of the ground, Tom Lynch slotted three goals in a spirited performance, his best return so far in 2019.
The tall forward had two goal assists, six tackles and 12 contested possessions to offer more than just a target up front.
Midfielder Rory Sloane laid a game-high 13 tackles to take his tally to an AFL-leading 59 for the season.
Champion Data ranked Sloane as the sixth-best player of the round thanks to his 26 disposals, 13 contested possessions, nine inside-50s and one goal.
He was joined by Hugh Greenwood and Lachlan Murphy as some of the most physical players on the day.
Adelaide had 188 contested possessions to Port Adelaide’s 187 - ranking the sides first and second for Round Eight.
The Crows laid the second-most tackles for the weekend (93) behind Melbourne (99).
