Victorian powerhouses Essendon, Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond are reportedly prepared to lure Port Adelaide star Zak Butters out of South Australia as soon as this off-season.
Butters has grown into one of the AFL's star midfielders, polling 29 Brownlow votes in 2024 after not missing a game all season. The Victorian-born 24-year-old has been absent from the Power's campaign thus far however, after undergoing a knee arthroscopy in late February to repair a knee injury suffered against Adelaide in a pre-season scratch match.
The back-to-back best and fairest winner also becomes a free agent in 2026, and while there have been whispers of a potential move home, it is now believed four Victorian clubs think Butters is gettable as soon as this off-season.
"There are now four Victorian clubs who are aware that his head may be turned not next year during free agency, but at the end of this season," journalist Sam McClure said on Nine's Footy Classified on Monday night.
"Now there is a myriad of reasons why they think that the Bacchus Marsh boy may do that. One being that Port Adelaide might not be the powerhouse that Zak Butters was hoping they would be, particularly going into this year.
"The second crucial element of this is that Zak Butters is one of a select few at Port Adelaide who has developed an extremely close bond to Ken Hinkley.
"What we know is at the very best scenario (Hinkley) is leaving at the end of the year. That's not to say that he doesn't have a good relationship with Josh Carr, but his relationship with Ken is really strong.
"But those four clubs think that he might be on the chopping block as soon as this year."
Power coach Ken Hinkley responded to questioning on Butters' future on Tuesday, expressing his level of confidence in the star midfielder staying at Alberton.
"I know how he feels about being at Port Adelaide," Hinkley told media.
"I am (confident he stays). I see the way he plays, the way he acts, his connection to this footy club is really strong.
"He's got great relationships, not just the players but his coaches. He's a pretty important piece of this footy club."
Port Adelaide are already feeling the brunt of losing star Dan Houston in last year's trade period, who is now playing strong football at Collingwood, one of the clubs attempting to pry Butters out of Alberton.
Hawthorn are well-known for their mid-season scouting of opposition players, with Sam Mitchell's catch-ups with Tom Barrass and Josh Battle ultimately leading to the former Eagle and Saint's making a club switch for 2025.
McClure also referenced Essendon and Richmond's strong draft capital if they were to trade for Butters before his contract ended in 2026, noting both clubs hold two first-round picks in 2025.
Currently, other than their own, Richmond hold North Melbourne's first-round selection while Essendon holds Melbourne's.
Hawthorn holds just Carlton's first-round pick, while Collingwood does not have a first-round pick this year.
