Player Watch Pick #12 (2018) - Zak Butters

[Power Raid]

BUTTERS KEEN TO REMAIN AT ALBERTON

PORT Adelaide sensation Zak Butters is in talks on a new deal ahead of coming out of contract in 2022.

AFL.com.au reported in July the Power were keen to extend Butters' contract this year before the start of 2022, when his deal is due to expire.

The 20-year-old had opened discussions with Port earlier this season before he turned his focus to returning from the ankle then knee nerve injuries that saw him sidelined for three months.

"We were speaking to them earlier in the year and with the long-term injury I was probably a bit frustrated there for a bit and just really wanted to focus on getting back and playing good footy for the club and be in the position I am now to play finals footy and back playing some good footy," Butters told AFL.com.au.

"I've been talking to my manager and the club and we're in good dialogue there and I'm really liking Adelaide.
"I've got my own house over here and got some really good friends as well so I'm in a happy place and can't complain. We're playing finals footy and winning as a team."
Butters has quickly become a pivotal member of Port's push for the premiership, being named in the Therabody AFL All-Australian squad last year. The midfielder, along with his fellow 2018 draftees Connor Rozee and Xavier Duursma, all inked two-year extensions in 2019 that tied them to Port until the end of 2022. – Callum Twomey

Hawk hits trigger, Butters in talks, where's the decathlete's deal?

All the latest trade and free agency news as the Trade Period edges closer

www.afl.com.au

Butters, Rozee and Duurs.........the holy trinity

 

[The Hobo]

Butters seems to have an issue lately on how he lands when going up for a mark.

It's how he hurt his other knee a few weeks ago in his comeback game - but he also hyper extended it in a mark he took against Geelong.

Then there was the mark he took in the forward 50 where the Geelong player slipped behind him and ended up being essentially uncontested.

He's not nailing those landings at all, and his body mechanics seem a bit off. Bit of a concern, he could do some serious damage if he doesn't sort that out quick.

 

[Chewy316]

Butters seems to have an issue lately on how he lands when going up for a mark.

It's how he hurt his other knee a few weeks ago in his comeback game - but he also hyper extended it in a mark he took against Geelong.

Then there was the mark he took in the forward 50 where the Geelong player slipped behind him and ended up being essentially uncontested.

He's not nailing those landings at all, and his body mechanics seem a bit off. Bit of a concern, he could do some serious damage if he doesn't sort that out quick.

Wouldn't surprise me if it is by design. Hes hyper extended his knee a few times upon landing flat footed. But by intentionally hitting the deck the way he has been lately reduces likelihood of his leg getting stuck in the ground causing ankle and/or knee damage.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Butters, Rozee and Duurs.........the holy trinity

And Bergman - the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse

 

[drcollossimo]

And Bergman - the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse

Needs a 5th (Drew)!

 

[Janus]

And Bergman - the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse

It's all written down:

Duursma

"Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer."

Self explanatory, really.

Rozee

"When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from Earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him."

Ergo, Rozee cuts you up with speed. Attack focused.

Bergman

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not damage the oil and the wine.""

Defensively minded. Interceptor/defender. Not as many possessions as the others, but makes them count.

Butters

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a pale horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

A combination of Rozee and Bergman.

Hades can be Drew when Butters moves into the midfield full time

 

[RossFC]

Wasn't there a thread calling Rozee, Butters, Duursma and Drew the fab 4? I can't find it.

 

[Duck Farmer]

Wasn't there a thread calling Rozee, Butters, Duursma and Drew the fab 4? I can't find it.

The Phwoarsome Foursome.

 

[Alberton Proud]

Dodgy knees

Pass

 

[Alberton Proud]

 

[Tibbs]

'I couldn't feel my foot': The scary injury that nearly ended Butters' season
Power gun reveals 'scary' details of the injury that threatened to ruin his year


ZAK BUTTERS

9

Zak Butters

Age

23

Ht

181cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.3

4star

K

7.7

3star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.8

3star

D

14.7

4star

K

8.9

4star

HB

5.9

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.1

3star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

is a fast-footed player who dances around opponents, dodges tackles and spins through traffic. The Port Adelaide whiz kid aims to bring electricity to the Power and his agile quickstep is one of his weapons.

But after a freakish injury earlier this year, the young star couldn't feel his left foot and toes. He struggled to walk up stairs, he would fall over himself, catch his shoes dragging on the ground and even had to stop wearing thongs and Birkenstock sandals, so difficult it was to lift it normally. He was told his season was over but there were bigger concerns, too.

"It was a bit scary there. I couldn't feel my foot, I couldn't really walk properly," Butters told AFL.com.au ahead of Port's preliminary final clash this Saturday with the Western Bulldogs.

It started in round four against Richmond, when Butters, who had been in red-hot form following his breakout 2020 campaign, landed awkwardly on his ankle and ruptured his syndesmosis ligament.

"I thought I'd just rolled it and I normally recover pretty well from injuries and can play through a bit of pain so in my head I was thinking 'I should be good for next week'. But it was a syndesmosis injury and I had surgery a day or two after that," he said. "I was expected to be back within four weeks and hopefully play in a Showdown (in round eight). It all went pear-shaped from there."

Butters only returned to light running days before the clash with crosstown rivals Adelaide, having realised after surgery that something wasn't right. The club's medicos continued to monitor the problem and found that in the same incident he had torn his ankle ligament, Butters had also suffered nerve damage in his knee.

"After surgery I was in the moonboot for the first week and giving the ankle complete rest and no pressure. Once I got out of the moonboot I knew there was something wrong because I was expected to start running and jogging but I had this thing called 'drop foot'," he said.

"It's a pretty freakish thing and I couldn't feel my toes or move my toes at all. I couldn't lift my foot up, so it was basically 'dead foot'.

"In the same tackle when my leg twisted instead of my bones breaking my nerves got traumatised, wrenched and damaged and post-op I came out with a dead foot. There's no real timeframe on that so it was pretty frustrating for me. I thought it was going to be a four-week thing and I was being told that I was going to miss most of the year.

Butters underwent follow-up surgery to release the pressure on the nerve to ensure he would make a full recovery, but there was no expectation it would be this year. For a football devotee – Butters has an appetite for the game, watching and consuming as much as he can – it was hard news to take and some of his usual high drive was lost.

'I couldn't feel my foot': The scary injury that nearly ended Butters' season

Power gun reveals 'scary' details of the injury that threatened to ruin his year

www.afl.com.au

 

[Boxx]

Needs a 5th (Drew)!

Na, Jones is the 5th horseman!!

 

[elbarton]

Wasn't there a thread calling Rozee, Butters, Duursma and Drew the fab 4? I can't find it.

Calling them the 'dab 4' to trigger the old timers

 

[tribey]

Calling them the 'dab 4' to trigger the old timers

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Rozee, Butters and Duursma will be lumped together like Voss, Hird and Buckley were for over a decade. Not because they will be as good or better, but because its easy for the media and fans to do so.

eg Riccutto and Harvey played at the same time, all brownlow medalists, all played in GF's, the first 4 were all inducted into the HoF at the same time, Harvey the next year, only because he played an extra year, but were never lumped together as a group of 4 or 5.

 

[Tibbs]

Rozee, Butters and Duursma will be lumped together like Voss, Hird and Buckley were for over a decade. Not because they will be as good or better, but because its easy for the media and fans to do so.

eg Riccutto and Harvey played at the same time, all brownlow medalists, all played in GF's, the first 4 were all inducted into the HoF at the same time, Harvey the next year, only because he played an extra year, but were never lumped together as a group of 4 or 5.

But, Voss, Hird and Buckley, while contempories, were never in the same team.

If Port win the premiership, then Rozee, Butters, and Duursma will forever be linked together, more like Black, Voss, Akermanis, and ,Lappin were, being collectively known as 'The Fab Four.' The media has already started to copy that by constantly referring to them as a group of four, adding Georgiades into the mix.

Its in the hands of this young playing group to set up a dynasty, and become footy legends. Sounds over the top, but it's very possible.

 

[gbear]

What a journey Zak has been in this year, very inspirational. If we can win the big one his story will be yet another to add to the fairytale.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Young guns extend their time at Alberton

Two of Port Adelaide's brightest young stars, Zak Butters and Connor Rozee have extended their stay at Alberton until at least 2024.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

 

[Byrons Firen]

Young guns extend their time at Alberton

Two of Port Adelaide's brightest young stars, Zak Butters and Connor Rozee have extended their stay at Alberton until at least 2024.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

Phew was starting to wonder there for a while. Reckon we offered more than 2yrs tho'.

 

[Tibbs]

Phew was starting to wonder there for a while. Reckon we offered more than 2yrs tho'.

I am sure we did too, and their managers would have gone: "Yeah? Nah! ... Let's talk in another two years.""

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

Honestly what has happened to this kid. Having a terrible year. Has lost his spark and skills, trying way to hard to have special skills.

Hinkley’d unfortunately. Like all our young talent

 

[PatientMental]

Has been poo.

Will be a monster under an AFL coach and not some Geelong league fraud.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Honestly what has happened to this kid. Having a terrible year. Has lost his spark and skills, trying way to hard to have special skills.

Hinkley’d unfortunately. Like all our young talent

He has got ahead of himself.

can't do the basics very well so tries too many tricky dicky plays that wont come off to compensate.

 

[Windy Cindy]

He has got ahead of himself.

can't do the basics very well so tries too many tricky dicky plays that wont come off to compensate.

Spot on REH

trying all these dinky kicks and handballs.

needs to become a 30p midfielder each and every week.

 

[PAFC66]

Drop him