Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters has declared he will “fight to the hills” any charge brought against him for abusive language, after being reported in his side’s 14-point loss to St Kilda on Sunday night.
After a slow first half, the Power came out looking a different outfit in the third quarter and looked within touching distance of breaking a scoring deadlock.
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Against the grain, Saints forward Mitchito Owens was awarded a contentious free kick from a ruck contest just inside forward 50 against Jordan Sweet. As the 22-year-old lined up for his set shot, Butters seemed to query on why a free kick was given.
Umpire Nick Foot didn’t hesitate in paying a 50-metre penalty against Butters for his words, stunning both he and nearby teammate Ollie Wines as Owens strolled into an open goal to push the margin out to 31 points.
As Butters and Wines jogged back to the middle for the next centre bounce, Foot ran past Butters and informed him he was on report.
Speaking to Seven’s Xander McGuire immediately after the siren, the out-of-contract midfielder was unwavering in his defence of the incident.
“I’d love to know the language that I said, because I went up to him after the game and obviously just to have a chat — like any two humans do,” Butters said.
“He said he didn’t want to speak to me. All I said was: ‘How was that a free kick?’ He gave it 50, and said I’m on report.
“I had a few teammates right next to me, Ollie Wines. I’m curious to follow that one up, because I’m never going to say anything bad to the umpire. I just want to follow up and ask what he thought I said from his end.
When queried by McGuire on whether any expletives were used, Butters responded: “Genuinely no swear words (or) any bad language. That’s why I was curious and obviously a bit frustrated, because it led to a goal.
“I feel like I’m a pretty honest bloke out there and have a good relationship with most umpires. I’m sure the club will deal with that.
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“I’d fight it (any charge) to the hills, because I know what I said, and I know I didn’t say anything bad.”
The free kick came at a costly time for the hosts, who went on to kick four of the next five goals to get back within nine points before ultimately falling short.
First-year Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr found himself somewhat frustrated by inconsistencies in the umpiring throughout the night. In the first quarter, especially, Fox Footy commentators debated several instances where St Kilda players potentially initiated contact with their heads before being awarded a free kick.
“We didn’t handle the frees that well. Was that them getting their head over the footy? I don’t know if it was consistent on both sides of the footy with the frees… but that’s definitely not what hurt us,” Carr told journalists post-game.
When quizzed on Butters’ report, he responded: “I don’t know the details to it.”
Fox Footy reporter David Zita detailed what the standard procedure for an alleged offence of this kind will entail in the next 48 to 72 hours post-game.
“You can see him getting told by the umpire he is on report. He seemed quite shocked by it, and the teammates around him seemed quite shocked by it as well,” Zita said post-match.
“This normally ends up in the fixed financial offences category. Michael Christian, the MRO (Match Review Officer), you would suspect would get a report lodged from the umpire as to what was said. Then, he makes a determination from there.”
Port Adelaide have a six-day break before their Round 6 clash with Hawthorn on Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium.
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