Why Zak Butters has reached out to Lachie Neale to have 'a few chats' ahead of preliminary final

Port Adelaide midfielder Zak Butters has admitted he's turned to an unlikely source for support ahead of his side's preliminary final against Sydney on Friday night.

Butters is preparing for a likely tag from Swan James Jordon, and has reached out to Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale for advice.

And according to Butters, Neale, who has been tagged heavily in 2024, has provided a great sounding board for his concerns.

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Neale, who was tagged by Giant Toby Bedford in the Lions' shock five-point semi-final win, still managed to collect 19 disposals.

"Seeing Lachie Neale with (the Bedford tag) again on the weekend, he's one I've looked up to throughout the year, and probably the last three or four years he's dealt with it most weeks, more than most," Butters said on Tuesday.

"I had a few little chats to him over time and he's given me some good advice.

"I feel like I've got some good plans in place and some good people in my corner to help me out, but at the end of the day it's up to me to go out there and compete, fight hard and help my team win."

And Butters is expecting Jordon to be tasked with shutting him, or midfield teammates Connor Rozee and Jason Horne-Francis down at the SCG.

"They've looked at doing that at stages this year with James Jordon … he's a pretty hard player to play against, whether he comes to me or Hornet (Horne-Francis) or Connor (Rozee), I feel like there's a few in there who he could go to at different stages," Butters said.

"That's something that we'll be expecting, so if they choose to do that, we'll be ready for it."

The Power demolished the Swans by a whopping 112 points earlier in the season, when Butters was not tagged.

The vice-captain expects the Swans to enter the prelim with a completely revitalised plan.

"Teams have sort of come with that plan, and to be fair, it's probably been back in the game over the majority of the years for a lot of different players," he said.

Butters also addressed coach Ken Hinkley's $20,000 fine after his exchange with Hawks players during their semi-final win.

"Kenny addressed it straight after the game with us in the rooms after the game. He put his hand up and apologised just like he did publicly as well," he said.

"He's a passionate guy, and sometimes you get caught up in the waves and you don't quite know what you're saying and what you're doing."

The Power will face the Swans in their preliminary final on Friday night at the SCG, in hopes of reaching their first grand final since 2007.