Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters will need to head to the Tribunal to keep his Brownlow Medal chances alive after copping a one-game suspension for striking.
Butters was cited for an open-hand slap on GWS midfielder Tom Green during the Power’s loss on Sunday.
The incident was graded as intentional, because it was off the ball, with low impact and high contact resulting in a one-match ban.
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Crucially it would see him miss Saturday’s crunch clash with Brisbane but Butters is in the thrust of the Brownlow race – not one of the top contenders but a dark horse likely sitting in double-digit vote territory so far.
The Power said they will “consider their position overnight” on both Butters’ ban and the three-week SANFL suspension handed down to Charlie Dixon.
“I think Zak Butters will have some explaining to do throughout the course of the week,” Fox Footy’s Nick Dal Santo said on commentary after the incident.
“It’s an open hand. A palm that comes off the shoulder and hits Tom Green in the face so they’ll have a very, very close look at that.”
Commentator Dwayne Russell added: “He got lucky earlier this year Zak Butters. Still eligible for the Brownlow after getting lucky with that head high bump earlier this season.
“They have had a few fend offs that have bounced high assessed by the MRO this season.”
In other match review news, North Melbourne’s Kallan Dawson was offered a one-week ban for striking Collingwood’s Jack Crisp.