Zak Butters Tribunal hearing result, Free to Play, Blog, Ban appeal, latest news from Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters will be cleared to play in Saturday’s decider against Brisbane after successfully appealing his one-match ban on striking at the AFL Tribunal.

The midfielder also remains eligible for the Brownlow Medal after the tribunal, chaired by Jeff Gleeson, concluded that his contact with the face of GWS midfielder Tom Green was negligible.

The Power successfully pointed to the Jesse Hogan v Carlton case earlier this year, in which GWS itself argued that Hogan had first struck his opponent on the arm before grazing his face, meaning the impact was not even minor.

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The Power pleaded not guilty, arguing that the impact was negligible, and arguing that the high-altitude contact was negligent rather than intentional.

According to the medical report, Tom Green did not require any treatment after the incident.

During his testimony, Butters said he and Green “bumped into each other” and that he “simultaneously punched Green very lightly in the chest area with the palm of his hand, aiming for his chest.

Butters said he first touched Green’s upper arm and his “fingers briefly grazed his face,” and he made it clear that Green received no medical attention and no one made any allegations against him.

AFL lawyer Sam Bird argued that the pair had been playing by the rules of the game until the exchange of blows and had fought back and forth a little, and that Green’s head should have been seen snapping back after the contact.

“I think it’s pretty hard to tell from that angle, but that’s what I remember (fingers brushing Green’s face),” Butters said.

“I think in that moment it was more a recoil from what was coming towards him rather than the actual intent and the power itself.”

Butters argued that he was defending himself, that Green was also trying to assert himself physically and that Green addressed the referees after the incident.

Butters agreed that it was “a tough competition overall,” but “not too tough,” particularly with regard to Green.

The AFL argued that Butters had made “a clear decision to strike.”

“This is not a sideways glance with a couple of fingers to the side of the face. This is a punch to the side of the face,” Bird said.

“In light of the video evidence before the court, the impact is sufficient to show that it was a blow to the side of the face, away from the ball, in a situation where player Green would not have expected to be struck in that manner.”

Tribunal Chairman Jeff Gleeson asked whether the Jesse Hogan ruling applied, which required the high blow to have at least a minor effect for a charge to be brought (and not automatically upgraded from ‘negligible’ to ‘minor’ because the potential for injury exists).

Bird replied that in this case the effect was worth the bad grade.

Port Adelaide responded that this was “a clear case of negligible contact” and directly comparable to the Hogan incident when the Giants forward was released. The Power argued that Hogan’s impact was actually greater.

“Look at the film and especially Green’s reaction. He barely moves. He never tries to punch himself in the face. He doesn’t lose his balance. That’s the essence of negligible,” Power’s lawyer said.

Power alternatively argued that the incident was not intentional but negligent, since Butters had no intention of making contact with the weapon.

The Power are contesting both Butters’ incident and Charlie Dixon’s three-match SANFL ban for a push that caused concussion to his opponent, with the latter hearing taking place on Wednesday night.

Butters is an outsider for the Brownlow seat. He is likely to receive double-digit votes, but is behind favourites Nick Daicos, Isaac Heeney, Marcus Bontempelli and Max Gawn.

Watch Zak Butters’ hearing live below!