Sam Berry Wins First Showdown Medal in Adelaide's One-Point Win

Sam Berry won the showdown medal after Adelaide edged Port Adelaide by one point at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. The Crows midfielder was judged best afield in Showdown 59 after a game decided by a single kick.

Berry’s 29-19 night

Berry finished with 29 disposals, 19 tackles, four clearances and 704 metres gained. Those numbers explain why he took the medal in a match that stayed tight until the end.

For Adelaide, the award went to a midfielder who kept winning the ball and then kept making it count. The one-point margin left no room to hide the work that drove the result.

Adelaide Oval decides Showdown 59

The win came in Showdown 59, the latest meeting between Adelaide and Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. That context matters because the medal was not handed out for a comfortable night; it followed a derby that turned on the smallest possible margin.

Berry’s output also gives Adelaide a clear individual marker from the match. Best afield in a one-point win is the sort of line that travels beyond one night, especially when it comes with 19 tackles and 704 metres gained.

Port Adelaide walked away without the medal, but the result was shaped by Adelaide’s control through Berry in the middle. The one-point finish leaves his first Showdown Medal tied directly to the Crows’ narrow Derby win, a clean snapshot of who set the tone when the game was there to be won.