Coach Brenton Sanderson has urged his team to lift for Balfours Showdown XXXII at AAMI Stadium on Sunday, saying the clash with cross-town rivals Port Adelaide is more than “just another” game.

The grudge match will pit the fourth-placed Crows against the 14^th-placed Power, but Sanderson said he expected the contest between the two teams to be tighter than the AFL ladder suggested.

“It’s a big week. I know a lot of coaches would say it’s just another week, but not for us. We need to lift and improve,” Sanderson said.

“I love this week in South Australia. I think it’s a fantastic week to really get behind the two SA clubs, and we’ll build this game up internally.”

The Power, who hold a narrow advantage in the overall Showdown record (17-14), have recorded only one win - against St Kilda in round one - in a tough start to the 2012 season, but Sanderson said he had been impressed by Port Adelaide’s spirit in the opening four rounds.

“I think they’ve improved over the summer and they’re in good form,” he said.

“Don’t be seduced by our (3-1) record either because we’ve still got a lot of improvement to come.

“We have been watching Port pretty closely and I think they’re playing a style that is going to win them games long-term. It’s a really good test for us. We’ll study Port hard this week and see if we can break them down.”

For the second consecutive week, Sanderson lamented his team’s tackling and propensity to be “too cute” with the ball under pressure in the tough win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday night.

The rookie coach forecast a solid week on the training track for his players.

“There’s a lot of improvement left in our group and there are things we’re still working on really hard behind the scenes,” he said.

“With an eight-day break, we can look at our systems and structures and identify what we really need to knuckle down on.”