Adelaide seized top position on the AFL ladder and secured its fourth consecutive premiership victory over local rival Port Adelaide with a relentless 50 point win at a rain-sodden AAMI Stadium on Saturday.

The Crows blazed to a four goal lead early, but were seriously challenged by a committed Power, and needed to produce some serious wet-weather skill in the second half in order to win, 15.13 (103) to 8.5 (53).

Adelaide's Tyson Edwards won the Showdown Medal as best afield.

Edwards had been kept quiet by Aaron Shattock in the first half, but Shattock was puzzlingly moved at the break allowing Edwards to win plenty of the ball in a crucial third term.

Three goal forward Trent Hentschel produced a dominant display both on the ground and in the air despite the slippery, windswept conditions, while Martin Mattner, Graham Johncock, Michael Doughty (three goals), Andrew McLeod and Warren Tredrea's minder Ben Rutten all performed well.

Ruckman Brendon Lade, Peter and Shaun Burgoyne and Chad Cornes were all influential for the Power, and midfield stopper Kane Cornes did a creditable job on form Crow centreman Simon Goodwin.

Adelaide lost captain Mark Ricciuto on the afternoon of the game, with the club deciding his hamstring was not yet up to the rigours of a premiership match.

Oddly for a wet night, his place was taken by ruck debutant Ivan Maric.

Power captain Tredrea won the toss to hand his side a considerable wind advantage, but the Crows proceeded to make a mockery of the notion they were at the non-preferred end by slamming through five goals to one for the term.

For a time it appeared Port would not register a goal with the breeze, until Stuart Dew produced a handy finish with the outside of his left foot.

Mattner hit the post inside the first minute of the resumption, appearing to indicate the one-way traffic would continue.

However Port finally began to show its best football as the Crows rested on their first term laurels, and five remarkable goals followed in the space of 12 minutes to hand the Power a surprise lead.

Instead of the widely predicted thrashing, Adelaide was nursing a three point lead at the half having stemmed the Power onslaught.

The Crows response after the break was to produce the sort of uncompromising quarter that has become a club specialty, Ken McGregor, Hentschel, Thompson, Brent Reilly and Doughty adding goals that stemmed from industrious work by Edwards and Goodwin.

Up by 23 points and kicking into what had become a raging gale, the Crows quickly put the result beyond doubt when McGregor's canny tap assist to Johncock was quickly followed by Doughty's run into an open goal.

That Port was held to a solitary point for the quarter was testament to Adelaide's toughness.

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