Adelaide Crows coach Brenton Sanderson says it will get ugly.
Sunday’s showdown against arch rival Port Adelaide pits Sanderson against his great mate, Port coach Ken Hinkley.
Both played for Geelong and were assistant coaches at the Cats when they won premierships in 2007 and 2009.
Both have the same footy philosophies. Now both are head coaches.
“Ken and I obviously have the heavy influence of who we worked with and who we were coached by,” Sanderson said.
“We have got a really healthy relationship away from footy, being involved in success at Geelong.
“We value the same things when it comes to game plan and structurally and the way we set up from a strategy point of view.
“We play a very similar way, we both value contested ball and method around the contest and that healthy balance of attack and defence.”
So what will happen when identical philosophies collide in Sunday’s twilight fixture at AAMI Stadium?
“It won’t be a pretty game,” Sanderson said.
“Coming from the Geelong model, some of the biggest games we played in weren’t the prettiest games, it was just the side that was able to withstand the pressure for longer.
“And I’m sure that will be the case on Sunday.”
Hinkley has banked consecutive wins to start his head coaching career, seemingly turning around the fortunes of a club that hasn’t played finals since losing the 2007 grand final – to Geelong.
But he knows triumphs against a hapless Melbourne and fledgling Greater Western Sydney aren’t compelling evidence of Port’s recovery.
“We have been sneaking along okay but a showdown for us, clearly it’s a big game,” Hinkley said.
“Each game has been a big test for us … but I’m not going to shy away from the fact that the showdown is an important game.”
While the jury remains out on Port’s credentials, Sanderson said there was no doubt Hinkley was leading a rejuvenation.
“You have to really admire what Kenny and his coaches have done in such a short period,” Sanderson said.
“We have been keeping a close eye on them and their first two home and away games have been exceptional.”