Eddie McGuire amps up his running battle with David Koch’s Port Adelaide as he blasts their Showdown performance after blowing up over decades-old jersey clash

• e-mail

Eddie McGuire believes Port Adelaide have a tendency to 'fold' in big games and questioned whether they can cope with the increased pressure that comes with being in the spotlight.

The Power lost The Showdown by 31 points on Saturday and are 13th on the ladder with one win in their first three games.

Port face the Swans in Sydney in Round 4, before hosting the Western Bulldogs and West Coast over the following two weeks. And Maguire believes the next three weeks could shape the Power's season.

'There's a bit of a worrying trend now for Port Adelaide over recent years,' he said on the Eddie and Jimmy podcast on Tuesday. 

'When they get to the big games, they fold. So it's an interesting time for Port Adelaide. They have got a big couple of weeks ahead of them.' 

Eddie McGuire has questioned Port Adelaide's mentality in big games 

The Power lost The Showdown by 31 points on Saturday and are 1-2 after three games

Last week, the former Collingwood president reignited his war of words with Port boss David Koch, accusing him of 'having a go' at the Magpies after the controversial 'prison bars' guernsey stoush between the club ended. 

McGuire and Koch have been at loggerheads for years about the Power's traditional black and white 'prison bars' jersey, which bears a close resemblance to Collingwood's strip.

When McGuire was president, Collingwood only allowed Port Adelaide to wear the jersey on special occasions - but last week Magpies boss Jeff Browne said the club would let the Power wear their traditional jerseys in The Showdown. 

And in a thinly-veiled dig at Koch, McGuire suggested the publicity around the guernsey may have backfired for Port.

'It is going to be a really interesting time because it's the old thing we always say in showbusiness,' he said.

'It's great doing the promos and getting everybody to watch, but if they see something that's no good, then everybody sees it all at once. 

'And so they have got the attention. And OK, if they want to be like Collingwood, well, welcome to the attention because it's now firmly on the Port Adelaide Football Club.'

McGuire last week made clear he wasn't impressed with Browne's move, suggesting the decision will only lead to Port Adelaide demanding to wear their original strip more often.

'Every time Port Adelaide has asked Collingwood when I was the president, we said yes,' he said on his podcast.

Last week, McGuire renewed his war of words with Port Adelaide boss David Koch

McGuire and Koch have been at loggerheads for years about the Power's traditional black and white 'prison bars' jersey, which bears a close resemblance to Collingwood's strip

McGuire believes Collingwood's decision to allow Port to wear their traditional jerseys wil lead to the Power donning the prison bars guernsey regularly 

'So let me just let that rattle around. Every time they asked, we said yes.

'What we didn't want it to be was every year or every home game – and we could see where it was going. 

'You have a look at the last couple of years, the AFL allowed them to start putting the Magpie – the Collingwood Magpie – on their scarfs and all their merchandise.

'They'll be wearing it at their home games going forward, both their Showdown game and probably they'll come up with another one.'