Two of Showdown history's greatest players, Josh Francou and Mark Ricciuto, can add retrospective best-on-ground Showdown Medals to their collections.
Already three-time winners, the Power and Crows champions will receive their fourth medals and be officially recognised alongside Darren Mead, Brett James, Adam Kingsley and Mark Bickley after a voting panel jointly selected by the clubs reviewed each of the first six Showdowns.
Adelaide and Port Adelaide won three of these games each in this period, establishing an exciting new rivalry in South Australian football. The six retrospective Showdown Medals were also shared, won by leading players from the winning teams.
Port Adelaide defender Mead dominated in the first Showdown in 1997, when the Power in just their fourth AFL game stunned Adelaide at Football Park. Adelaide midfielder James played a major role in the wind and rain, as the Crows finished strongly in the second Showdown. Conditions were similar for the third Showdown in 1998 when Port upset the reigning premier, with Adam Kingsley influential in the midfield.
Ricciuto, who was the first player presented with a Showdown Medal in 2000 and later won medals in 2004 and 2005, was the star of the fourth Showdown and Crows captain Bickley led the way in Showdown V. Port’s Francou topped the votes for Showdown Six. He won both Showdown Medals in 2001 and another in 2002.
Port Adelaide CEO Matthew Richardson congratulated all recipients and highlighted the significance of their achievements.
“Congratulations to all six recipients of these Showdown Medals. Each one has played an important role in building the significance of this game and the rivalry all of South Australia embrace today,” Mr Richardson said.
“The legacies of these Showdown Medallists are now appropriately recognized and their stories forever part of the Showdown history.”
Crows CEO Tim Silvers thanked the judging panel for its input and congratulated the medal recipients, adding these players had laid the foundation for the Showdown being the AFL’s fiercest rivalry.
“It’s great to see these champions from both clubs finally celebrated for their individual brilliance and reflect on their performances, as well as the games themselves,” Mr Silvers said.
“Showdowns quite rightly hold a special place on the football calendar and the games played in the late 90s featured some of the all-time greats.”
In line with the current process, the judging panel included representatives who were involved in the media for the first six Showdowns in the late 1990s. They were Graham Cornes, Kym Dillon, Bruce Abernethy, Chris Dittmar, David Wildy, David Burtenshaw and Michelangelo Rucci.
