AFL Port Adelaide v Essendon: Port Adelaide young gun Zak Butters pulls down Bombers’ pants

Sam Walsh, Connor Rozee and the King brothers are the most-hyped names from the 2018 AFL ‘Super Draft’. But Power young gun Zak Butters is catching up – fast.

Dylan Shiel was among the three Bombers who went down during their loss. Picture: Getty Images

Players who get an All-Australian nomination in just their second season shouldn’t be slept on.

But are we doing that with Port Adelaide young gun Zak Butters?

Ever since the crop of talented youngsters from the 2018 “Super Draft” started to make their mark in the league almost immediately, there has been significant debate about who is the best out of the lot.

Should Sam Walsh have gone at No. 1? Not according to Kane Cornes.

What about the King twins Max and Ben? The brothers with almost God-given attributes have a lot of fans.

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Port Adelaide’s everywhere man: Zak Butters handpasses the ball despite the attention from Mason Redman.

Connor Rozee after he finished his debut campaign as the Power’s leading goalkicker got some mentions.

Even Izak Rankine after he started his AFL career for last year as a human highlight reel, while the Western Bulldogs Bailey Smith continues to mount a case given his sensational first two years in Luke Beveridge’s side, so much that Mick Malthouse said on the weekend he isn’t far off becoming the AFL’s premier on-baller.

But what about Butters even though the No. 12 pick of that Draft was part of the All-Australian 40-man squad in 2020?

None, zilch.

Melbourne great Garry Lyon had a crack at re-ranking the 2018 Draft last year, and you can bet many more will in the future.

He didn’t have Walsh at No. 1, that went to Max King, followed by brother Ben.

Rankine was third, Smith fourth, Rozee fifth, Walsh slid down to sixth, Sydney’s Nick Blakey was seventh, North Melbourne’s Tarryn Thomas eighth, Gold Coast’s Jack Lukosius was ninth and Adelaide’s Chayce Jones 10th.

Butters during his remarkable 36 possession game. Picture: Getty Images

Just recently Richmond legend Matthew Richardson named his top five players 22 and under in the competition — Oscar Allen, Walsh, Smith, Noah Balta and Shai Bolton.

Butters got a “honourable mention” along with Rozee, King (the St Kilda one) and Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw.

Not having Butters in his top 10 at least, and possibly his top five could haunt Lyon for years to come while Richardson might have to find room to bring the Port youngster into his rankings quickly if the young Power star continues to play like he did against Essendon.

Part of the reason why the Power brought Orazio Fantasia to Alberton was to allow Butters and Rozee to play more minutes in the midfield.

With Rozee still out following foot surgery, he will be back next week, Butters showed just what a masterstroke this could be.

Before Saturday’s game against Essendon the best Butters had produced in terms of possessions in a game was 24.

In and around the midfield more, he lined up at the first centre bounce of the day for the Power, the 20-year-old had an absolute field day against the Bombers finishing with 36 disposals, six tackles and six clearances.

The Power’s decision to make some risky moves to bring in Rozee at No. 5, Butters at No. 12 and Duursma at No. 18 has been a masterstroke move by Port’s list management and recruiters.

Getting Butters at No. 12 seems like an almighty steal with every passing game.

Rozee’s debut season got the plaudits, and rightly so given how impressive he was, and Duursma is and will continue to be a good player for the Power.

But it is arguably Butters who is the pick of the bunch for the Power now.

Butters evades Zach Merrett.

“I think he (Butters) has gone past him (Rozee) at this stage of their careers,” St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.

“He is a really complete player and there is a level of toughness there.”

That toughness was right on show when Butters rattled the bones of Essendon’s Andy McGrath when the Bomber young gun got a hospital handpass.

And as we saw in 2020, Butters is still deadly when he goes forward — finishing with a goal and assist.

“I’m not sure there is a thing that Zak Butters can’t do,” Adelaide great and board member Mark Ricciuto said.

“He is the complete player at the moment and if he can go into the midfield and take it to another level which it looks like he can do he will be a star of the competition if he is not one already.

“He’s good in the air, good on the ground, he tackles well, he’s tough, he’s fast, he’s fit and he’s young.”

So how far can Butters go in the game?

Port coach Ken Hinkley says as long as Butters works hard he can continue to get better, a statement that should have Power fans salivating.

“He is like all of our young players, he’s a talented young player who has a lot in front of him and a lot of growth to come,” he said.

“Where he goes that is the challenge for Zak, Zak like a lot of young players he is really driven and he can achieve anything that he wants to if he really challenges himself.

“And I know the way he prepares he will give himself every opportunity.”

And what about Butters maybe not getting the recognition other players in his Draft class have received so far?

“I think there has been plenty of acknowledgments around our draft in that year,” Hinkley said.

“It’s about all of our club, not just one or two or three players … we are all very humble

and as long as they are winning I think that is what they are driven by.

“The recognition from outside is just that, opinion.

“And we get good opinions and we get plenty of bad opinions.”

Some, many even, might just have to change their views — or are starting to even change them already – on who will end up as the best out of the 2018 crop.

POWER’S HUGE SELECTION ISSUE

Mitch Georgiades has given Ken Hinkley a big selection headache after making the most of an 11th-hour inclusion to take on Essendon.

The West Australian was a late inclusion into the Port Adelaide line up on Saturday at Adelaide Oval for fellow key forward Todd Marshall, who was withdrawn from the side with a sore back.

Georgiades softened any blow of Marshall not being available on Saturday, making the most of his chance by shining in the Power’s 18.11 (119) to 9.11 (65) win.

Speaking on Fox Footy, Mark Ricciuto said Georgiades had a big opportunity to push his inclusion for a more permanent spot in the Power’s strong side.

“Georgiades will love the conditions today, he could play a blinder,” Ricciuto said.

And that proved to be the case with the 19-year-old finishing with four goals in the Power’s 54-point win.

Mitch Georgiades celebrates one of his four goals with Port Adelaide’s fans.

Two came in the firsts and third quarters, while he had 13 disposals and eight marks.

Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said it would be hard for Hinkley to leave Georgiades out for next week’s huge clash against West Coast in Perth.

“Todd Marshall (would be) really nervous right about now he is the late withdrawal through injury and when the man who takes your spot plays a game like this it makes it impossible for you to drop him next week,” he said.

“And the unfortunate thing for Marshall is they can’t play an extra tall they have too many.”

To compound a tough day at the office for Essendon, the Bombers have potentially suffered three huge injury blows, on top of a thumping by the Power.

Post-match, Power coach Ken Hinkley weighed in: “I thought Todd would play unfortunately his back quite didn’t get to a point and we didn’t want to take a risk when we have a young player in the wings waiting,” he said.

“It does (give me a selection headache) but that’s a good thing for us, we’ve said all year that the squad mentality is the way that we are going to approach it.

“People are going to have to play roles and accept roles. We are also going to have (Connor) Rozee back so that will put a squeeze on but the boys understand that and that everyone will somewhat take their turn at some point.”

Jye Caldwell, who the Bombers lured across from GWS, has injured his hamstring and has been subbed out of the game in the third quarter.

Minutes after that No. 1 ruckman Sam Draper looks to have suffered an ankle injury.

And the worst was to come for the Bombers in the fourth quarter, with star midfielder Dylan Shiel having to be helped off the ground and down into the rooms after suffering an ankle injury in a Tom Jonas tackle.

KEY TRIO INJURED AS DONS CRASH TO NEW LOW

Essendon has potentially suffered three huge injury blows, on top of a thumping from Port Adelaide.

The Bombers lost by 54 points with the Power rampant at Adelaide Oval, and Ben Rutten’s side may be without two of their brightest talents for an extended period.

Jye Caldwell, who the Bombers lured across from GWS, has injured his hamstring and has been subbed out of the game in the third quarter.

Jye Caldwell and Sam Draper sit on the Essendon bench on ice.

Minutes after that, No. 1 ruckman Sam Draper appeared to suffer an ankle injury.

And the worst was to come for the Bombers in the fourth quarter, with star midfielder Dylan Shiel having to be helped off the ground and down into the rooms after suffering an ankle injury in a Tom Jonas tackle.

“It might have just got trapped at the start of the tackle,” Nick Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.

“Just leveraged into the grass which put a lot of pressure on that medial joint.”

Injuries: Jye (Caldwell) has a hamstring, Dylan (Shiel) has a knee and (Sam) Draper has a high ankle. The doctors don’t think Dylan’s is an ACL, just locked up, but he’ll have some scans.

— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) March 27, 2021

Caldwell impressed in his first game for the Bombers in Round 1, and was showing flashes against the Bombers against the highly touted Port Adelaide side.

But in the third quarter, he injured his hamstring after kicking the ball during an Essendon attack and left the game.

Adelaide legend Mark Ricciuto, on the boundary for Fox Footy, said the young midfielder had ice on his hamstring.

Bomber Dylan Shiel is helped off the field in the hands of trainer. Picture: Getty Images

“It is a real blow for him, he has been out of the GWS side and came to Essendon with big wraps but he will miss a couple of weeks,” he said.

Minutes later Draper, who is now the Bombers No. 1 ruckman, went down after a contest with big Power forward Charlie Dixon.

He was later on the Bombers bench with ice on the inside of his ankle.

“He stayed down for ages,” Ricciuto said.

“When he got up he was just walking to the boundary line, I haven’t seen a player walk over the boundary line and just off the field.

“I think he could tell that something was wrong pretty badly.”

Coach Ben Rutten said post-match: “Jye is just a hamstring, Dylan is a knee and Draper is kind of a high ankle. I think the doctors don’t think it is an ACL (Shiel) but it has just locked up on him and we will have scans to see what it is. It is one of those high ankle ones (Draper) but we will have to investigate further and wait and see.”