The classy, super-fit Crows dominated the first quarter with superior run and method, while Port controlled the second term with similar authority and largely through being slicker around the centre bounces and stoppages.
The rain arrived at half-time and continued to bucket down throughout the second half, the wind increased to storm proportions and the Crows did very well to add 5.3 to 2.1 in the third quarter - into the wind again - to stretch their lead from three points to 23, and they sprinted away with a 4.4 to 0.1 final term.
It was Adelaide's fourth successive victory against Port, leaving the Crows with a 9-11 record in showdowns. The Crows won four of the first seven and have won five of the past six. In between, Port won seven in a row.
Both teams had many heroes in the demanding conditions, with Adelaide defenders Ben Rutten, Ben Hart, Andrew McLeod, Graham Johncock, Nathan Bassett and Kris Massie providing consistent rebound, Michael Doughty, Tyson Edwards, Scott Thompson and Martin Mattner working hard through the midfield and Trent Hentschel (three goals) and Ken McGregor (one) tall targets up forward.
Edwards won the showdown medal with a prominent second half and Doughty kicked three of Adelaide's last five goals in his finest performance for the club.
Chad Cornes was superb for Port wherever he roamed, big Brendon Lade was a tower of strength, especially early when Stuart Dew also shone, Shaun and Peter Burgoyne won plenty of the ball, as usual, and Kane Cornes restrained Simon Goodwin but restricted his own output in the process.
The result barely looked to be in doubt when Adelaide scored 4.3 into the wind in the first 20 minutes of the opening quarter. Mattner goaled within a minute of the first bounce, Thompson goaled four minutes later and Hentschel and Jason Porplyzia also capitalised fully on good work further afield.
Dew kicked Port's first score - a goal - at the 22-minute mark, but Hentschel replied with his second goal - and, given the conditions, it hardly seemed possible that the Crows could lead 5.3 to 1.1 at quarter-time.
Similarly, though, nobody could have predicted that Port would rebound so powerfully with a 5.2 to 1.3 second quarter which left the Power just three points behind at half-time.
Chad Cornes, Peter Walsh, Josh Pearce, Shaun Burgoyne and Josh Mahoney goaled in the first 17 minutes of the second term before Ivan Maric goaled on the run from deep in the right pocket at the southern end at the 23-minute mark to give the lead back to the Crows - 6.4 to 6.3.
Adelaide scored two more points before half-time, then outscored Port 9.7 to 2.2 in a surprisingly one-sided second half.
Mark Ricciuto was a late withdrawal from Adelaide's team and was replaced by giant young ruckman/forward Maric, who made his AFL debut after some outstanding form with Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL.
From Calder Cannons, Maric, 20, 198 centimetres and 97 kilograms, was the Crows' third pick (No. 40 overall) at the AFL's NAB 2004 Draft and created a big impression in the SANFL throughout last season.
Maric, Nathan van Berlo, Biglands, and Porplyzia started on Adelaide's bench in the showdown, and Port opened with Dew, Brett Ebert, Michael Pettigrew and Fabian Deluca on its bench.
The Crows decided their captain would rest his strained hamstring for the second successive week, even though he had not appeared to be inconvenienced by it throughout Friday's training session.
Ricciuto is now expected to resume against the Kangaroos at Telstra Dome on Sunday of next week.
Adelaide coach Neil Craig described his players' skills as 'very, very good' and he pointed to the number of scoring shots - 28 to 13 - and inside 50s - 56 to 32.
"And we were still able to use the handball to a certain extent - nothing like we would have liked - but the guys still had the courage to keep trying it and put some really good plays together, which kept us going forward," he said.
Craig said the players had done most of the talking in the rooms at half-time, trying to analyse the second quarter as well as some good things they did in the first term.
"To their credit, they came up with what they thought were the important issues and the actions that needed to be taken in general and also by particular individuals," he said.
Asked how he explained the Crows' lame second-quarter effort, Craig said: "A thing called opposition. They (Port) were very, very good, particularly around the contested ball and the stoppages … they got some momentum going there and we became a bit rattled in some areas, but we were able to stem the tide and regroup. And, of course, after half-time I thought our performance was exceptional."
Port coach Mark Williams said his team was 'outclassed - without any doubt'.
"What we saw tonight was the top team playing a team that is battling to stay in touch," he said. "There weren't a great deal of positives … the result (margin) was way too much in those conditions. The night was one for persistence. There was no doubt you had to keep grinding away and there weren't too many pretty things happening.
"I thought we made some shocking choices, kicking too short 60 metres out from goal. The second quarter was quite refreshing. It kept a lot of interest in the game."
ADELAIDE: 5.3, 6.6, 11.9, 15.13 (103)
PORT ADELAIDE: 1.1, 6.3, 8.4, 8.5 (53)
GOALS – Adelaide: Hentschel 3, Doughty 3, Thompson 3, McGregor, Mattner, Porplyzia, Maric, Reilly, Johncock
Port Adelaide: S.Burgoyne 2, Pearce 2, Dew, C.Cornes, Walsh, Mahoney
BEST – Adelaide: Edwards, Doughty, Hentschel, Thompson, Rutten, Johncock, Mattner, McLeod, Bassett
Port Adelaide: C.Cornes, Lade, K.Cornes, S.Burgoyne, P.Burgoyne, Cassisi, Pearce, Walsh
INJURIES – Adelaide: Bode (head knock - slight concussion)
Port Adelaide: Nil
CHANGES – Adelaide: Ricciuto (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Ivan Maric
UMPIRES - Stevic, Ellis, Goldspink
CROWD - 42,723 at AAMI Stadium
