Zak Butters Considered Revealing Bulldogs Move Before Final Season at Port Adelaide
The supplied AFL report focuses on Zak Butters’ move from Port Adelaide to the Western Bulldogs, not Keidean Coleman. Butters said he had considered announcing…
The supplied report contains no update on Keidean Coleman. Instead, the AFL report says Zak Butters considered publicly revealing during his final season at Port Adelaide that he planned to return to Victoria before joining the Western Bulldogs as a free agent.
The Bulldogs unveiled the 26-year-old recruit on Monday after signing him to a nine-year deal worth $2 million a season, according to AFL.com.au. Butters said he had settled on leaving the Power ahead of the 2026 campaign.
He considered making the decision public. He held back.
“I definitely contemplated and thought about that,” Butters told reporters on Monday. “But I think the AFL landscape isn't probably quite ready for it.”
Butters said he discussed the possibility with his manager, Peter Lenton, after open conversations with Port Adelaide at the end of last season. The AFL system, unlike the process described in the report for the NRL, restricts listed players coming off contract to officially move in the off-season through trade, free agency, drafts and the supplemental selection period.
“The way I play football and the way I train, I feel like I'd be able to show up and front up and do it,” Butters said of the prospect of playing on after disclosing his plans. He added that he could see no reason an advance announcement would necessarily be harmful in the future.
That distinction matters to clubs and supporters: Butters’ comments raise the question of whether a player could compete through a season after publicly confirming a future move. The report says AFL players cannot officially move mid-season, while in the NRL players can sign with rival clubs in the final year of a contract or earlier with permission, and moves are often announced months before they take effect.
Butters did not decide on his destination immediately. The report says the Bulldogs, Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond pursued him during the year, and he made his final decision after returning to his family property at Darley, west of Melbourne, following Port Adelaide’s season.
“It's a pretty long contract and it's probably the rest of my career so I wanted to make sure I get it right,” he said. “I probably leaned towards different clubs at different stages but, ultimately, I got to where I wanted to get to.”
The Bulldogs are expected to be back in the frame for a top-four finish in 2027 with Butters joining and forward Sam Darcy returning after a season-ending knee injury. Butters, a three-time All Australian, has had minor ankle surgery and said he was eager to play in the midfield alongside Marcus Bontempelli and Ed Richards.
“We're definitely going to be in them (best midfield in the competition) calculations,” Butters said. His move was completed on a nine-year deal worth $2 million a season.
Source: afl.com.au
