Port Adelaide forward Ellie Hampson is relishing the opportunity to experience her first Showdown in the prison bars as the Power prepare to face Adelaide at home this weekend. 

After overcoming a pre-season hip injury to make her club debut in Round 7, Hampson reflected on her long-awaited return which saw her kick three majors, the team's progress under its new game style and the belief within the group as it looks ahead to the remaining five rounds.  

The 25-year-old also discussed the excitement surrounding the Showdown rivalry, the importance of starting strongly and the influence of ruck Matilda Scholz. 

Tickets are still available for Showdown V, with fans set to enjoy a free Ferris wheel in the Precious Cargo Kids’ Zone, followed by a post-game fireworks display. Queen Street will also be transformed into Food Truck Alley, creating a street-party atmosphere with fun for all ages. 

Hampson on the excitement and anticipation of Showdown games 
“This game gets spoken about all year round, and the excitement's always there. It was one of the first things I spoke about when talking to the club. They asked what I knew about the Showdown. I was lucky enough to be at the Showdown last year down here in Adelaide, so that was really cool to be a part of. It's something that's really exciting in Adelaide culture, and I can't wait to get out there and crack in.” 

Hampson on whether playing in a Showdown played a role in her making the move to Port Adelaide 
“Yeah, I'm a very passionate player. I think seeing the passion in Showdowns, and the passion that goes behind the Port Adelaide jersey, even getting to wear the prison bars this weekend, that's going to be an awesome opportunity to do that in my first year. It's a club that I have followed for quite a while. I love the history behind it all. That passion behind the game from both teams is something that definitely helped the move.” 

Hampson on her long-awaited return from injury to make her club debut 
“It was a rough start, obviously, with a little bit of injury. But it was pretty cool to sit back and see the team do what they could in the first few weeks, and then to be able to come in and hopefully help build on what we're building here and implement what we want to do.” 

Hampson on the season so far 
“Maybe the end scores haven't been the perfect show of what we're doing here. I think we are taking wins out of every game, whether that's shown on the scoreboard or not. We're definitely taking away some wins each week, and we're building really nicely into what we want to do. We're pretty young when it comes to what we want to do with our new game plan. We've got a lot of new staff this year and a lot of new players, so the scoreboard maybe doesn't look like we're getting too many wins, but we definitely are in the background.” 

Hampson on boosting confidence within the group 
“Every week, you start Monday and you swipe it away and you go again. But obviously, the wins and losses do show at the end of the day, and you look back at that when you look back at the season. This week, we'll be looking for a win just as much as we would be if we'd just won the last four. We'll go after it really hard. We definitely still have belief in the team. All of our remaining games are winnable. If you let teams get on top of you for a quarter, it shows in the end a little bit, so we have just got to piece four quarters together. We'll do our best to do that this weekend and hopefully get a win.” 

Hampson on getting some reward on the scoreboard against the Dogs 
“I think that was a really good reflection of the work we've been putting in over the last few weeks in terms of where we want to get our entries and how we want that to look going into goals. Obviously, it was nice to get a couple, but that was just a result of how we were getting the ball in there. That's something we've been working at heading into the season and over the past few weeks.” 

Hampson on reviewing the Western Bulldogs 
“I think it'll be a big focus for us to start well this week. I think it's easy to let teams get on top of you early with the first few clearances. Our midfielders went to work all day, and they really wrestled it back in the second half. I think there's going to be ebbs and flows in the game. As long as we can get on top early, I think that'll be pretty influential this weekend. I think we scored seven goals in the second half, so we've shown ourselves we can compete. We have just got to try and get that going a bit earlier. But if there are scoreless quarters, it shows that in the next two quarters after that, we can still get going and really put some pressure on teams.” 

Hampson on the side's finals hopes 
“It's definitely just week by week. I think for me, finals are definitely very achievable. We've still got five solid games to go, and if we win those five, we're a really good chance to play finals this year. I think that belief goes across the whole group. You've got to have that belief always, and as soon as that starts to fall, that's when your chances do. So, I think we're very, very strong at holding our heads high and making sure we still have that in our sights.” 

Hampson on Lucy Boyd entering concussion protocols 
“She's tracking well. She will enter concussion protocols, but the way she goes about it is really tough, and unfortunately, she came off second best there. She's progressing well.” 

Hampson on Ella Boag and Sachi Syme's respective hamstring injuries 
“I'm not too sure where they're at from a medical standpoint and how many weeks they've got to go, but they're progressing really well. It would be good to see them out there as soon as possible.” 

Hampson on Ash Woodland's contract extension 
“I've been up close for a short period now, but I've seen her since day one of AFLW. She's a superstar of the game, and that's an awesome signing. We've had some really, really important players sign some long-term deals. I think what we're building here is really going to stick.” 

Hampson on Matilda Scholz's career-high 40 hit-outs 
“She's amazing. I call her the unicorn, like I'm sure most people do. She's amazing at what she does and how she goes about it. I think you feel that out there, you really do, and the drive and pressure she puts on teams just by how well she can move from the ruck around the ground. She's pretty much the Luke Jackson (from Fremantle) of female footy. To be on the same team as her is awesome, and to have her doing that week in, week out… I'm pleased to be playing with her. I think she's massive for us.”