Adelaide and Port Adelaide will attempt to blow each other to kingdom come for the 25th time in the AFL showdown at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.

And the principal players on both sides of Port Road wouldn't have it any other way.

The Power were subjected to criticism following their bruising approach to round four's entertaining battle, which saw Adelaide win narrowly despite being reduced to fewer than 18 fit players.

At this week's joint press conference, Power coach Mark Williams was confronted by a barrage of questions about how his players had put a heavy - arguably too heavy - emphasis on the physical stuff.

But Williams' defence of the game was strident, and so too was that of his opposite number Neil Craig.

"There's no doubt we'll be playing like that again," Williams said.

"We probably had one of the best ever Showdowns last time. We played pretty hard and tough and smashed and bashed and it was just a brilliant game.

"The Crows probably finished with about 16 fit players and won, which I'm sure they're really proud of.

"Everyone walked away from that game thinking it was right up there with the great football games and I'm sure they can't wait for this game to come around."

Craig's memories of the earlier contest were equally fond, irrespective of the physical toll it had on his team.

"We didn't see anything wrong with the way they went about it, go back and look at the highlights," Craig said.

"There were no reports from it, it was all within the rules.

"Because there was the extra intensity and toughness that we don't see in everyday AFL footy any more there was more scrutiny, but I think the reaction after that game in the football community was that it was a great game."

For Adelaide, a win would halt their current four-game losing run and help shore up a position in the middle region of the top eight.

Their major obstacle to success is a forward line that was struggling for fluency a week ago and is now battling purely for personnel after the loss of Brett Burton (knee) and Jason Porplyzia (shoulder) to injury.

Port are simply looking for some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, and would like to finish the year on the sort of promising note that they did after a similarly barren winter in 2006.

Blocking the path to victory are the self-doubts natural to players who have lost a succession of close games in 2008, plus an Adelaide team that knows instinctively how to stifle Port's game plan.

Power assistant coach Matthew Primus said since Craig took over as Crows coach in 2004, his teams have shaded Port's for preparation and ability to impose their plan on the showdowns - Adelaide have won seven of the past nine meetings.

"Their preparation and ability to play their game style has been better than ours over the last two or three years," Primus said.

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