AK Butters has claimed the Fans’ MG MVP award following his side’s battle with the Bulldogs, with the livewire’s 32 disposals, seven clearances and goal earning him the honours from Port Adelaide’s supporters.
In a very wet night at Adelaide Oval, Port Adelaide denied a persistent Western Bulldogs outfit to claim an important win in front of the Port Adelaide faithful.
Coming off a strong match against the Swans, Butters continued his purple patch with an influential performance against the Dogs in Gather Round.
His best-on-ground performance saw him rack up plenty of the ball, a team-high 32 touches, however it is a fourth quarter pressure act that headlined the young gun’s night.
Denying Oskar Baker the mark, Butters read the play perfectly – recovering the ball after the intercept and slotting a classy snap to seal the win.
He claims the maximum five votes for the first time this season and climbs to equal fourth on the MG MVP Leaderboard.
Coming in second place was defender Aliir Aliir, with the intercept master producing another impressive performance on the park.
His presence was felt in defence, recording four tackles, four marks and 11 intercept possessions.
His run-down tackle on the Bulldogs’ Aaron Naughton, which would have brought them within four points late in the final quarter, brought a stop to a dangerous late-game surge from the visitors.
An incredible fourth quarter performance (11 disposals, five inside 50s, four clearances) by young star Jason Horne-Francis earned him third place in the voting, with Sam Powell-Pepper (4th) and Todd Marshall (5th) rounding out the votes.
Port Adelaide is now preparing for its Round 6 Anzac Appeal Round against West Coast. Tickets are still available for the match, with a family pass in the Eastern Stand available for just $50 by entering the code FAMILY50.
Round 5 MG MVP votes
- Zak Butters (5 points)
- Aliir Aliir (4 points)
- Jason Horne-Francis (3 points)
- Sam Powell-Pepper (2 points)
- Todd Marshall (1 point)
