Zak Butters Faces Another AFL Charge, Pushing Career Fine Total Past $51,000
Zak Butters has received the 23rd charge of his AFL career on Sunday night, pushing his total fines over $51,000. The incident came after a tough loss for Port Adelaide in their match against Hawthorn, where Butters was charged with striking Sam Butler.
The fine from Round 5, which initially cost Butters $1,500 for umpire abuse, was successfully appealed by Port Adelaide on Monday night. However, this was not the issue that led to the latest charge. During the game, vision footage showed Butters hitting Butler in the midriff with an open hand, resulting in a $1,000 fine. This brought his career total to $51,125.
Butters was fortunate to avoid a suspension, as ‘gut-punches’ typically result in an automatic one-match ban. If he had used a closed fist, he would likely have been suspended for a week. Despite the fine, Butters played exceptionally well in Port’s three-point loss, finishing as best on ground with 35 possessions. His performance helped bring his team within a kick of victory.
Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr praised Butters’ efforts, saying, “As a football club, we’re super-proud of him. It’s obviously been a huge week for him and then to come out and play the footy he did… him being out on the field allows him to move on and do his best work.”
Hawthorn Players Banned for Gold Coast Clash
Two Hawthorn players, James Sicily and Dylan Moore, were not as lucky as Butters. Both were banned for one week each for delivering ‘gut punches’ on Port player Logan Evans, which resulted in free kicks.
Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall criticized the actions of the two players, stating that they should have known better than to retaliate. “I find it incredibly frustrating when I watch acts of ill-discipline or petulance like that,” he said on Fox Footy. “You’ve got to be able to cope with that, and the fact is, those players may find themselves out for a week for something that minor, and don’t begrudge if they get rubbed out for a week – they know what the rules are.”
Adam Simpson added, “When it’s your captain (Sicily) as well… when the focus in the off-season has been on that, that’s what you need to avoid when you retaliate.”
Sicily and Moore will now miss the Anzac Day game against Gold Coast in Tasmania. As for the Suns, they’ll be without John Noble after he also received a one-game ban for a high elbow that led to a concussion for Essendon player Tom Edwards.
Noble’s teammate Touk Miller was fined $1,000 for careless contact with an umpire. Miller is free to play against Hawthorn in Launceston.
