'Just a hero': Crow's crucial intercept mark late in Showdown classic leaves greats in awe

It wasn't a hanger — but it was a mark that sucked the life out of Port Adelaide's victory hopes and had AFL greats in awe.

In one of the great Showdowns, ultimately claimed by Adelaide in a five-point win on Saturday night, Mark Keane all but sealed the result with one of the great marks.

Clinging to a four-point lead with 90 seconds left in the game, the Crows were under intense pressure when a dashing Jason Horne-Francis sent the ball inside 50.

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That pressure was relieved, to an extent, when Keane locked his eyes on the ball, went back with the flight, and took a glorious intercept mark.

"There's plenty of time here, but I'll tell you what, if they get over the line here, that man's taken one of the marks of the year," said former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon on the Fox Footy coverage.

Port Adelaide would make one more foray inside 50 over the remaining minute but that, too, was cut off by an intercept mark, with big man Reilly O'Brien gobbling up the ball with 43 seconds on the clock.

Moments later, Crows substitute Sam Berry was streaking away down the left-hand boundary to kick a behind — a passage of play which ran down the clock and iced a 13.11 (89) to 12.12 (84) triumph.

"The courage going back into the pack," Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said of Keane's mark.

"He could have got poleaxed."

Keane is an Irishman playing at his second AFL club, having begun his career with Collingwood in 2018.

"We've seen some great marks in our time, and the people who judge mark of the week, mark of the year, this has to be in the context of where they are..." Lyon said at full-time.

"Look at him, and look at what he does, Mark Keane — back into traffic, not knowing what's coming the other way.

"Just a hero."

Earlier in the final term, with Adelaide leading by 15 points, the eventual winners were buoyed when Izak Rankine soccered a goal that put Crows fans in raptures.

Darcy Fogarty couldn't contain a chest mark in the goal square but Rankine swooped, kicking a goal off the ground to extend the Crows' lead to 21 points.

The Crows are now leading the Showdown head-to-head 29-28.

"We did well to hang on in the end," said Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks, "because they were coming."