ADELAIDE caretaker coach Mark Bickley has praised the "enormous" character of his team following its 32-point win over Port Adelaide in Showdown XXXI at AAMI Stadium on Sunday night.

Throughout the week, the players vowed to respond to the sudden resignation of long-serving coach Neil Craig with a passionate display against the Power, who had won five of the last six matches between the two teams.

Predictably, the emotion-charged Crows started strongly, kicking five of the first six goals of the game to lead by 22 points at half-time.

The Power rallied in the third quarter, closing to within 11 points but Adelaide steadied with two quick goals to influential forward Taylor Walker, and was able to kick away in the final quarter.

It was the seventh time in the last 11 instances a caretaker coach has won his first game in charge.

The players, who admitted to feeling guilty for the role they had played in Craig's departure, were always expected to respond against Port Adelaide, but Bickley said his team still deserved credit for its performance.

"I had a number of people say, or heard people talk about [how after] a change of coach you're always more likely to win after that … but I can't ask any more of the players than to go out there and do what I ask them to, which they've done," Bickley said.

"Port didn't let us win tonight. We faced a spirited opposition, desperate for a win, who were coming off a week break.

"Emotion doesn't guarantee victory and I thought the way they controlled that emotion was very good.

"We learned there's enormous character within the group. It's been a really tough week and they were able to respond. I'm really proud and happy for them."

The match between the 14th and bottom-placed teams on the AFL ladder was willing, but marred by skill errors.

Bickley conceded there were few passages of play that would make it onto the "highlights reel", but lauded Adelaide's willingness to persist with an attacking style of play in spite of the turnovers and Port Adelaide's late surge.

"There was a lot more urgency full-stop," he said.

The dual Crows premiership captain didn't make any drastic changes in his first game at the helm.

Young star Patrick Dangerfield started in the midfield rather than up forward, and Walker was afforded plenty of space in the goalsquare, but the attitude was the biggest difference in Adelaide's play compared to previous weeks.

The win was the perfect start for Bickley in his quest to secure the permanent coaching role, but the third-year assistant maintained he would wait until the end of the season to decide whether he would put his hand up for the job.

"I haven't really sat back and self-assessed, but there will be time for that," he said.

"I didn't find anything where I was out of my depth, which is a good thing.

"It tended to unfold how I was hoping it was going too. There weren't too many scenarios I found that I couldn't handle … but I'm a novice in terms of coaching.

"There's no time pressure on me to say that I want to [coach], so let it unfold."