Despite an emphatic, late-season win over Sydney just a few weeks ago, Port Adelaide vice-captain Zak Butters said finals footy is a ‘different ballgame’. 

As the group prepares for Friday’s Preliminary Final, the courageous midfielder is proud of the way the group responded last week, following the Qualifying Final loss. 

Butters spoke to the Adelaide media on Tuesday about how his body is feeling, the intensity of the Hawthorn game, and the side’s preparation for the Swans this week. 

Butters on the last time the Power played the Swans 
“(You take) a little bit (out of it), but not too much. It's a bit of a different ballgame now with finals, and they're in some good form as well. Since that game, they've played some really good footy, and then you see them come back and the way they fought it out against GWS. So no doubt, we know they're a quality team, and we know we're going to be in for a pretty tough and cracking game of footy on Friday night.” 

Butters on winning eight in a row against Sydney 
“Yeah, I probably haven't been here for all of them. I'm a little bit younger, but I've been here for some of them. So yeah, there have been some cracking games in there as well. You remember the last time we went up there, we went right down to the final buzzer with Aliir saving the game on the line. So yeah, they haven't always been tough games against Sydney and yeah, we've had some really tough ones, so we know they’re going to have in store for us and going up there with their home crowd. They've played some really good footy and got some really quality players that we're going to have to stop.” 

Butters on the midfield’s response to the Geelong loss 
“I think we just had a good, honest review as a line and as teammates and as friends as well, we just (put) demand on each other to be a bit better in certain areas. And yeah, they're not the easiest conversations to have at the time, but when you look back at what's needed in that moment, I feel like we handle that as a midfield group that’s probably been together now for a few years now. We're probably handling those conversations a bit better, and then going out there and performing after. So as a group, we're pretty proud.” 

Butters on his body 
“Yeah, the body's good. I feel like another training session under the belt today, and a really good one by the boys again. So yeah, I felt like I was I was able to get through and definitely tick some more boxes and get some more confidence in my body. So looking forward to the weekend. It’s pretty hard to take it easy (at training) but I’m trying a little bit, I think if you look across the league at this time of the year, and probably late in season, a few players probably have modified training a bit. It's a long season, a lot of games are footy, so you sort of have to do whatever you can just to make sure that by the time Friday night rolls around, you’re ready to go. 

“I still like to attack it and still push myself. And I'm still trying to get better at this stage. Obviously, there's finals and that, but you’ve got to keep improving, or you still get left behind at this time of year. So that's something I'm still trying to do as well.  

“(I was in a) little bit of pain (on Friday). But I feel like I'm in pain most weekends, so nothing new there! But yeah, I feel like footy’s a demanding sport. There's probably plenty of other players going through some other injuries and dealing with their own things as well, and they're getting up and playing key roles for their team. So there’s plenty, no doubt, in a similar position as well.”  

Butters on the feeling after the win over Hawthorn 
“I wouldn't say (a weight has been) lifted. We're still in finals and there's still some big games to come, so there's still some work to do. But yeah, we definitely take belief and some confidence out of it. But moving forward, we still know we've got some jobs to do and some things to keep working on and improving on. 

“Yeah, definitely massive for the group (to get the win), and something that we take in our stride as we move forward. But I feel there’s moments throughout every year, where you know, you remember that one for when it comes to these times. So, no doubt that was another moment for us, but I feel like we had some good ones during the year as well.” 

Butters on Kane Farrell’s recovery 
“I feel like, yeah, Kane's been super. I feel like he sort of, it wasn't looking so good for him at one stage. But yeah, credit to him the way he's handled it and bounced back and just kept showing up and trying to get better, and he's taken some big steps forward in the last few days. Faz obviously had some tests to get through today and some boxes to tick today. But yeah, he's been a quality player for us all year, one of our best probably, and so important down there. 

“I think as a mate, you want to check in on him and see how he's going and what's his week looking like. But then also, we've got some really good medicos and coaches that will handle those conversations better. And I'm sure Kane will know the most out of everyone, how his body's going and how it's feeling. And then I'm sure he will relay that back to much higher people than me and his other friends. So yeah, no doubt there'll be some tough decisions this time of year, as there always is.” 

Butters on Ken Hinkley’s fine 
“Yeah obviously the fine is what it is. And yeah, Kenny will wear that, and we move on as a footy club, and we've still got a season in front of us, so right now, it's our main focus, and it's been a few days since then, so we're pretty keen to just look forward to what's next. 

“Kenny addressed it straight after the game, with us in the room after the game, and put his hand up and apologised, just like he did publicly as well. So yeah, we move on pretty quickly though. He's our coach, we back him in and yeah, like you boys and girls see in the media, he owned it, and sort of owned it to the group as well. He's a passionate guy. And sometimes you get caught up in the waves and you don't quite know what you're saying or what you're doing. And yeah, that's Kenny and to be fair, that's most competitive people in elite environments. So he's no stranger to that. But yeah, he's still learning as well, so I'm sure if he got his time again, he'll be better in that situation. 

“I guess you see the passion and emotion in that phase, but you also see it in many other phases of his coaching and with his relationships with his players as well. So yeah, it boiled over a bit at that stage. But there's been plenty of other good instances where you see him after games pretty emotional and how much it means to him, and what it means to the group, and how much he cares about the footy club. So I think in other aspects, he shows it in a really good way.” 

Butters on Todd Marshall  
“Yeah, obviously he's gone through a bit at the moment. He's going to be out for this weekend under the (concussion) protocols. So you wouldn't say it's ideal for Todd in that scenario. And he's missed a bit of footy this year. And yeah, as a group and as a friend, I'm feeling for him. He's going through a bit. So yeah, we’re definitely getting around him. Just checking in on him, and first of all, making sure his health and wellbeing is okay. And I know his partner and his family have been huge for him in that area as well, but as a footy club, we like to think we're part of his family as well. So just doing everything we can to make sure that, first and foremost, he's going okay with his health.” 

Butters on the intensity of the Hawks game 
“Yeah, no doubt, finals footy is a tough game. I felt like we need to live in that space to be able to perform and ideally get success in that space. So first of all, it comes into training, and I feel like our training the last week and again today was really good and really primed us to put us in the best position possible to go there and execute that style of play again. So, yeah, I feel like during the week, you set yourself up with your planning, your vision, and then ultimately going there and training under similar pressure and intensity really helps when it comes round to game day.” 

Butters on whether he lets himself think about a possible grand final berth 
“I probably think about it 350 days of the year, to be honest! I love footy. As a kid, you dream of playing in these moments in grand final days. So there's probably not too many days I don’t think about it. So in that aspect, it probably doesn't change too much. But yeah, in terms of this week, like you said, I've got a job to do this weekend. You can't really think (beyond that) too much. I guess you’ve got to think about the prelim and how good of a team Sydney are and that you have to play your best footy to beat them.” 

Butters on handling a tag this year 
“Yeah, they've looked at doing that at stages this year with James Jordon. He’s a pretty hard player to play against. So yeah, whether he comes to me, or Hornet or Connor, I feel like there's a few in there, you could go to at different stages. So as a team we’ll be prepared for that, and we've looked at that already, and that's something that we'll be expecting. So if they choose to do that, we'll be ready for it. 

“Teams have sort of come with that plan (at times throughout the year). And to be fair, it's probably been back in the game over the majority of the year for a lot of different players. You see Lache Neale deal with it again on the weekend and he's sort of what I've looked up to throughout the year, and probably the last three or four years, he deals with it most weeks more than most so yeah, I’ve had a few chats with him over the time, and he's given me some good advice. So I feel like I've got some good plans in place and some good people in my corner to help me out, but then that's up to me to beat it, and me to go out there and compete and fight hard and help my team win.” 

Butters on fans getting to the Sydney final 
“I feel like it's probably more of a challenge than ever with flights and tickets, and I think even getting tickets, even getting the chance to actually purchase them has been pretty hard this week for our fans, and many people across the AFL as well. But we know how dedicated and how passionate our fans are, and they’ll pretty much do whatever they can every week to try and get to the footy. So yeah, it looks like they've done no different this week, and that's why we love playing in front of them, and that's why we love their support.  

“We definitely appreciate it as a playing group, and probably goes undervalued how much they mean to the footy club, and obviously we’re the players, and there's coaches, and there's lots of people behind the scenes, but yeah, they're definitely the heartbeat of the club, and I guess that's why we love playing in front of them at home, and then when they travel, they're just as good. So keep showing up, and we'll keep trying to get wins for them.”