ZAK BUTTERS only knows one way to play and Sam Mitchell strongly doubts a tough week off the field will change that.

The Hawthorn coach was asked what version of Butters he expects in Saturday's twilight game at Marvel Stadium, given the Port Adelaide star's Tribunal case this week.

Butters was found guilty of umpire abuse and the controversy is not over, with Port to appeal the verdict on Monday evening.

"It's a great question - is there more than one? I've only ever seen him be awesome and angry and good at footy," Mitchell said after Thursday training.

"So if there's a different one, I will take that one."

Mitchell labelled the Butters case a "debacle".

"We have the Tribunal for a reason, but it's not for every reason," Mitchell said.

"There are much better ways we could have handled this, as a competition ... it has been really messy. No one's winning out of this battle."

While the Hawks will take a four-game winning streak into their first Marvel Stadium game this season, Port is coming off a scrappy loss to St Kilda and is 2-3.

Naturally, Hawthorn is the strong favourite. Equally as obvious, Mitchell is keen to talk that down.

"It's amazing, the narrative - we won a game (against Geelong) by a point ... and then we played OK against the Dogs," Mitchell said of their big Gather Round win over the Western Bulldogs.

"It's pretty easy. Your (media) job is to make the good, great and the bad, horrible.

"We're going along well, but you guys are making us out to be unbeatable. Port Adelaide are a good side, they've beaten us five of the last six times.

"You just have to be always looking forward in this game."