Butters’ Port career in limbo after ‘sickening’ injury
Zak Butters may have played his final game for Port Adelaide after the gun forward went down with an ankle injury in the game against St Kilda on Saturday.
The incident occurred late in the third term at Marvel Stadium after Butters attempted a spoil on St Kilda’s Max Hall and the 25-year-old landed awkwardly.
Zak Butters limped off the field. Getty Images
His right ankle got caught and trapped under Hall’s body and twisted beneath his after they came down from the aerial contest.
Butters immediately clutched at his ankle in agony and had to be assisted from the arena by trainers, unable to bear any weight.
“Sickening sight, he’s on the interchange now, he’s got the boot and sock off - he was in real trouble coming from the ground,” Dixon said on Fox Footy.
“A huge story … he’ll take no further part.”
“That looks like a syndesmosis, he’s grabbing the wrong spot. The ankle isn’t supposed to go that way,” Gerard Healy added on the Fox commentary.
The loss of Butters compounded into a disastrous evening on the injury front for Port Adelaide.
By the final siren, the Power only had a solitary fit player on the bench after losing Lachie Jones (ribs) and Mitch Georgiades (concussion) to injury earlier in the match.
Port fell to a 10.13 (73) to 13.9 (87) loss to St Kilda.
“That’s not good news at all. The superstar can hardly put any weight on that ankle. He’s been unbelievable leading the club this year. It’s been a game of carnage and that might be the biggest story of them all,” said Leigh Montagna on Fox Footy.
Butters’ future has been in discussion as the 25-year-old has been chased by multiple clubs in the AFL.
The star midfielder will likely receive the game’s largest ever contract and the Western Bulldogs seem to be the front-runner club for Butters, so a long-term injury may have Butters signing off his time with Port Adelaide.
