PORT Adelaide coach Josh Carr has expressed his pride in the performance of Zak Butters on Saturday after the star midfielder faced a week of scrutiny stemming from an incident with umpire Nick Foot last weekend at Adelaide Oval. 

The stand-in captain was fined $1500 for umpire dissent after the AFL Tribunal found him guilty on Tuesday night, before the Power elected to appeal the finding he and the club have disputed.

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That AFL Appeal Board Hearing will be held on Monday night, following another brilliant performance from the two-time All-Australian at Marvel Stadium. 

Port Adelaide fell narrowly short of beating premiership contender Hawthorn, courtesy of Jason Horne-Francis and Butters, who amassed a game-high 35 disposals, 16 contested possessions and a goal in the three-point loss. 

Carr said Butters dealt with the scrutiny well and got back to work at training during the week, before performing when it mattered most on the weekend. 

"As a football club we're super proud of him. It's obviously been a huge week for him, and then to come out and play the footy that he did … you know he loves his football. Being out on the field allows him to move on and do his best work," Carr said.

"I can't answer how much he consumed himself with what happened. It would have been really hard for him not to be thinking about what had happened and where it's going to go. 

"But in the end, every time he rocked up to the footy club, he was there to work and there to train, and I think that allowed him to move on and not think about it.  

"Obviously there's still a bit to play out with that. But in the end, he's a footballer that loves his footy. So him being at the club, allows him to move on and then playing a game of footy allowed him to look forward."

Hawthorn stars James Sicly and Dylan Moore will face scrutiny from Match Review Officer Michael Christian for off-the-ball strikes in the third quarter. Both Hawks made contact with the torso of Power defender Logan Evans. 

Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said he hadn't seen vision of the incident when asked in his post-match press conference.

After starting 2026 with a loss against Greater Western Sydney in Opening Round, Hawthorn has now won five consecutive games to sit second on the ladder, but the emotion post-game for Mitchell was clear. 

"It's probably a bit of relief like we felt after you get a big lead and then you give it up so quickly, you lose complete control of the game," Mitchell said.

"It's been a big couple of weeks for us. You know that's our third game in pretty quick succession, so we didn't move across the ground as well as we would like today. There's probably a bit more relief than there is from some other wins."

Young key forward Will McCabe produced a debut to remember, kicking a crucial goal from 45 metres out in the pocket in the final quarter, just when Hawthorn needed someone to step up late.

The 2023 first-round pick had to wait a long time for an opportunity, but Mitchell said the son of Luke showed he can play at the level.

"I think everyone remembers their first goal, but I think everyone will remember his. It was an absolutely vital moment in the game and for him to go back and take his opportunity like that," he said.

"I think he didn't look out of place. I think he did some good things. He was actually well out on some leads and got the ball kicked over his head, which was a bit of a story about the night. But he had a huge smile on his face after the game. So it's good to get a player debut and get a win like that."