AHEAD of Saturday’s Showdown, Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas has revealed he supported Adelaide before being recruited by the Power, but his allegiances quickly changed.

The 27-year-old arrived at Alberton with pick 16 in the 2011 Rookie Draft and has since become one of the club’s most reliable and versatile defenders.

Known for playing on the biggest forwards as much as shutting down the craftiest small forwards, Jonas could just as comfortably go to Adelaide captain Taylor Walker as he could to goal sneak Eddie Betts in Saturday afternoon’s Showdown.

And he says he can’t wait.

“It’s definitely not just another game,’’ he told FIVEaa’s Sportsday SA.

“It’s funny because I used to be a huge Crows fan, especially in the 1997-98 days, but it didn’t take me long to turn on the Crows.

“We hate them and want to beat them.

“There is a bit of a chip on your shoulder and a lot of pride at stake, so it’s always a huge game.’’

Adelaide and Port are locked at 22-all in their match-ups heading into Saturday’s blockbuster.

Jonas revealed beating its rival was just one motivating factor for the Power, with a chance to cement a spot in the top-four also on the cards.

“We want to go deep into September,’’ he said.

“We have been pushing for that for a little while and we have copped a little bit of flack for underachieving.

“So, we are keen to make amends and prove some of the doubters wrong.’’

Jonas was a surprise inclusion for Port’s trip to Ballarat to take on the Western Bulldogs last Sunday.

He was initially expected to miss as many as six games with a knee injury he suffered in the Round 16 win over St Kilda, but after having surgery to clear loose fragments from his knee, he returned after just three weeks to play a key role in the 44-point win over the Dogs.

And the 189-centimetre backman thanked the club’s medical staff for pushing his rehabilitation along, saying he was pleased to get back on the park and that he pulled up “remarkably well”.

“They really pushed it, every time I went a little bit more (at training) it pulled up well, so we probably took the risk a little bit and it paid off.

“I was back in pretty quick time, which was nice.

“I was a bit nervous going into the game and obviously got rested with about ten minutes to go and it’s probably a good thing with a Showdown to come.”

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