AFL tribunal LIVE: ‘The umpiring out there is disgusting’: Butters’ revealing comment; Collard about to learn his fate

The tribunal jury is about to retire to consider the case.

Tribunal chair Renee Enbom KC explains that they have until 5.45pm AEST to reach a verdict.

There’s a strong chance the decision will be revealed on Wednesday.

Port’s various witnesses – Zak Butters, Ollie Wines and Ben Rutten – have finished giving evidence.

The AFL’s counsel is outlining their case about the Port Adelaide star.

“The evidence of Mr Foot should be preferred,” they said.

“As the tribunal is aware ... the AFL does need to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities [that what Butters is accused of saying was actually said].”

Port’s representative, Kerry Robertson-Clark KC, is about to outline the key points of the club’s defence.

This case could go the full distance.

Port Adelaide’s general manager of football, Ben Rutten, gives evidence about what Butters said to him on the interchange.

Rutten, the former Essendon coach, describes Butters as “quite emotional” about what happened.

Rutten says Butters said to him: “The umpiring out there is ‘disgusting’ .… he has reported me, and won’t tell me what for.”

Butters’ teammate and Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines is up next.

When Wines is asked if he knew why the free kick was paid, Wines said: “No, I didn’t.”

When asked what he can remember saying to umpire Foot, Wines says he remembers using the word “honestly”.

“Do you honestly think that is a free kick? There might have been variations of the same sentence,” Wines said.

The Port Adelaide player is now being quizzed by the AFL’s legal counsel, as well as Port’s representative.

Butters agrees that his comments with Channel Seven straight after the match were his “best recollection” of what he said at the time of the incident.

“I was pretty emotional after the game,” he said.

Andrew Woods SC, for the AFL, says, “I think there needs to be an increased sanction for repeat offending.”

“There should be an increased sanction by matches, rather than way of fine to what happened last time.”

Michael Borsky, for the Saints, has urged one final time that any suspension Collard receives is served concurrently with his suspension for making high contact with a VFL opponent.

The tribunal is now deliberating.

Zak Butters is next. He will face extensive questioning.

First up he is being quizzed by Port Adelaide’s representative.

When asked if he knew umpire Nick Foot’s name, Butters says, “No”.

“I recall saying, ‘Surely that’s not a free kick’,” he said.

Butters says he’s “100 per cent” sure that he did not say anything wrong to the umpire.

“I paid the 50-metre penalty because of what was said,” Foot said.

Under questioning about crowd noise and whether he was wearing an earpiece, Foot said: “My earpiece is in my right ear. Zak Butters was to my left.”

Renee Enbom KC, the tribunal chair, has gone on to quiz the umpire.

“It was loud enough for me to hear it crystal clear,” Foot said.