Showdown Medal

The Showdown Medal is the medal awarded to the player adjudged best on ground in the Showdown AFL match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. It is thus similar to the Glendinning–Allan Medal awarded in Western Derby games. However, no medal is awarded if the teams meet in a final, as they did in 2005.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide players in a Showdown match.

The Showdown Medal was first presented in Showdown VII, Round 7, 2000.^[1] It was formerly known as the "West End Medal", but is currently sponsored by Balfours.^[2]

For Showdown 39 in Round 16, 2015, the Showdown Medal was named the Phillip Walsh Medal, after the late Adelaide coach Phil Walsh.^[3]

AFL

Robbie Gray holds the record for the most Showdown Medals, with 5.

Sam Jacobs is one of two Crows to win the Medal on three occasions.

Year	Round	Winner	Ref
2000	7	Mark Ricciuto	[1]
	22	Nick Stevens	[4]
2001	3	Josh Francou	[5]
	18	Josh Francou (2)	[5]
2002	5	Jarrad Schofield	[6]
	20	Josh Francou (3)	[5]
2003	5	Graham Johncock	[7]
	22	Peter Burgoyne	[4]
2004	7	Mark Ricciuto (2)	[8]
	22	Warren Tredrea	[4]
2005	3	Mark Ricciuto (3)
	20	Simon Goodwin
		Shaun Burgoyne
2006	6	Tyson Edwards	[9]
	21	Chad Cornes	[10]
2007	3	Andrew McLeod	[11]
	18	Simon Goodwin (2)	[12]
2008	3	Bernie Vince	[13]
	16	Danyle Pearce	[14]
2009	6	Dean Brogan	[15]
	17	Nathan Bock	[16]
2010	6	Robbie Gray	[17]
	17	Domenic Cassisi	[18]
2011	4	Justin Westhoff	[19]
	19	Nathan van Berlo	[20]
2012	5	Patrick Dangerfield	[21]
	15	Sam Jacobs	[22]
2013	3	Travis Boak	[23]
	19	Chad Wingard	[24]
2014	2	Hamish Hartlett	[25]
	15	Sam Jacobs (2)
2015	5	Robbie Gray (2)
	16	Scott Thompson
2016	2	Tom Lynch
	22	Matt Crouch
2017	3	Rory Sloane
	20	Sam Jacobs (3)
2018	8	Robbie Gray (3)
	20	Robbie Gray (4)
2019	8	Alex Keath
	16	Robbie Gray (5)
2020	2	Travis Boak (2)
2021	8	Travis Boak (3)
	21	Aliir Aliir
2022	3	Jordan Dawson
	23	Connor Rozee
2023	3	Jordan Dawson (2)	[26]
	20	Taylor Walker
2024	8	Jake Soligo
	23	Zak Butters

Retrospective best on ground

As the Showdown Medal was only introduced in 2000, six Showdowns were played without a medal being awarded. In 2019, Michelangelo Rucci, football writer for The Adelaide Advertiser, advocated for a combination of Brownlow Medal, Club Champion voting, and Media votes to determine the selection for retroactively awarded Showdown Medals.^[27] This potential for retrospective Showdown Medals being awarded was enhanced by the Western Derby allocating retrospective medals in 2018.^[28] Another Showdown where a medal was not awarded to the player adjudged best afield was the 2005 Semi-Final. The official Adelaide website, afc.com.au, lists Simon Goodwin as their best player in the 2005 Showdown Final with 3 goals and 22 disposals at 91% disposal efficiency to his name.^[29][30]

Michelangelo Rucci's 'Best on Ground' before Showdown Medal^[27]

Match	Year	Combined	Winning club	Brownlow	Club B&F	Merv Agars Medal
1	1997	Darren Mead	Port Adelaide	3: Darren Mead 2: Shayne Breuer 1: Brendon Lade	3: Darren Mead 2: Stephen Paxman 1: Stephen Daniels	3: Shane Bond 2: Brayden Lyle 1: Darren Mead
2		Brett James	Adelaide	3: Gavin Wanganeen 2: Brendon Lade 1: Matthew Connell	3: Brett James 2: Darren Jarman 1: Kym Koster	3: Brett James 2: Stephen Daniels 1: Darren Jarman
3	1998	Adam Kingsley	Port Adelaide	3: Nathan Bassett 2: Josh Francou 1: Matthew Primus	3: Adam Kingsley 2: Matthew Primus 1: Fabian Francis	3: Adam Kingsley 2: Matthew Primus 1: Fabian Francis
4		Mark Ricciuto	Adelaide	3: Mark Ricciuto 2: Peter Vardy 1: Darren Jarman	3: Mark Ricciuto 2: Peter Vardy 1: Ben Hart	3: Mark Ricciuto 2: Peter Vardy 1: Ben Hart
5	1999	Mark Bickley	Adelaide	3: Kane Johnson 2: Mark Bickley 1: David Gallagher	3: Matthew Robran 2: Mark Bickley 1: Ben Hart	3: Mark Bickley 2: Matthew Robran 1: Ben Hart
6		Josh Francou	Port Adelaide	3: Brendon Lade 2: Josh Francou 1: Gavin Wanganeen	3: Josh Francou 3: Brendon Lade 3: Gavin Wanganeen	3: Josh Francou 2: Gavin Wanganeen 1: Brendon Lade

2005 Showdown Final

Match		Combined	Winning club	Brownlow	Club B&F	Merv Agars Medal
2005	19	Simon Goodwin	Adelaide	N/A	3: Simon Goodwin 2: Mark Ricciuto 1: Scott Welsh	N/A

AFL Women's

Season	Round	Winner	Ref
2022 (S7)	6	Chelsea Randall
2023	1	Niamh Kelly
2024	1	Ebony Marinoff	[31]

References

1. Mark Ricciuto and Shane Mensforth, Roo (Sydney: Pan Macmillan, 2007), 105.
2. It's the Balfours Showdown!
3. Thring, Harry (16 July 2015). "Showdown's best to win Phillip Walsh Medal". afl.com.au.
4. Trophies-Medals
5. Australian Football League News
6. Round 5, 2002
7. Sporting Life
8. Pick your Showdown star of stars
9. Tell us your best Crows^{[dead link]}
10. Round 21, 2006
11. Round 3, 2007
12. Round 18, 2007
13. Round 3, 2008
14. Round 16, 2008
15. Round 6, 2009
16. Round 17, 2009
17. Round 6, 2010 Archived 2 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
18. Round 17, 2010 Archived 28 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
19. Round 4, 2011 Archived 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
20. Round 19, 2011 Archived 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
21. "Walker fires Crows to Showdown win". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 April 2012.
22. Thring, Harry (7 July 2012). "Show stopper".
23. Conway, Mark (14 April 2013). "Port stuns Crows with Showdown fightback". afl.com.au.
24. Thring, Harry (4 August 2013). "Monfries miracle hands Port thrilling win in final AAMI Showdown".
25. "Port Adelaide claim Showdown triumph with 55-point win over Adelaide Crows at new Adelaide Oval". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 March 2014.
26. "Back-to-back Showdown medal for captain Dawson". AFL.com.au. Adelaide Oval.
27. Rucci, Michelangelo (11 May 2019). "The 6 Missing Medals". The Advertiser.
28. "The year the goal-kickers had their say on the derby". The West Australian. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
29. "On this day: Crows win Showdown final". afc.com.au. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
30. "AFL Tables - Adelaide v Port Adelaide - Sat, 10-Sep-2005 7:00 PM (7:30 PM) - Match Stats". afltables.com. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
31. Oates, Tayla (31 August 2024). "Crows survive scare from gritty Power to clinch Showdown". afl.com.au. Alberton Oval.