Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cherishes Showdowns, but won't miss them.
Hinkley will coach against arch rival Adelaide for the 25th and final time on Saturday night.
"As much as everyone says that they're good for the state, they're not so good for the coaches or the players," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"There's a bit of heat on.
"... When you lose in this town in a Showdown - a little bit different. You drive in dark at night, you don't go out in daylight when you lose."
The Crows edge Port 29-28 overall and Hinkley, who will hand over to assistant Josh Carr at season's end, has won 11 and lost 13.
Hinkley acknowledged his injury-ravaged Power would be rank underdogs against the Crows, sitting third and heading to the finals for the first time since 2017.
"Without pumping them up too much, that's not something Port tend to do, they're the form team of the competition," Hinkley said.
And he had nothing but admiration for Matthew Nicks, a former assistant at Port now in his sixth season as Crows coach.
"He has done nothing but support me in his time with us, he went on and created his own career with some courage," Hinkley said, flanked by Nicks at a joint media conference at Adelaide Oval.
"I have just admired the way that he's had to be as resilient as he has been.
"Matthew should be so proud of what he has done, to be as strong and as gutsy as he has been, I reckon, over the last few years.
"It will hurt me to say: I'm glad to see him doing well."
Nicks said it would be strange when Hinkley isn't involved in a Showdown next year.
"It will be ... it's an unsual feeling sitting here knowing that your opposition coach won't be there next year," Nicks said.
"I learnt so much from him in the period of time I worked underneath him and it will be sad to see him go."
The Crows are seeking five consecutive wins for the first time under Nicks, who dismissed growing attention on his team as a premiership contender.
"It's not even something that has crossed our mind," he said.
"The reality is, it's there and it's noise.
"But we're just locked in, we're looking at Ken and his group, trying to work through how do we continue the form we're in.
"It's not easy to keep momentum and have that belief that we have at this point in time. We know how quickly that can change."
