Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters will miss the start of the 2025 season after suffering a knee injury in the Power's match simulation against Adelaide.
Butters is key to Port Adelaide's push for a flag in the final year of Ken Hinkley's tenure, with his game-breaking ability pivotal in the Power's top-two finish and preliminary finals appearance in 2024.
The back-to-back All-Australian selection averaged 27.1 disposals and played every game in Port Adelaide's 2024 campaign.
However, Butters' game-streak will end before season 2025 gets underway, with the 24-year-old taking a knock to the knee on Friday against the Crows. Scans revealed bone bruising from the impact.
Butters underwent a knee arthroscopy during the week to assess the extent of the injury, with a recovery timeline ruling the midfielder out for six to eight weeks.
It leaves Butters in a race to return for the hotly-anticipated Gather Round clash against Hawthorn, who's rivalry ignited in 2024 after two classic finishes that the Power triumphed in by under a goal.
An eight-week stint on the sidelines could see Butters return to the team in Round 7 against North Melbourne.
Port Adelaide open their campaign against Victorian sides Collingwood, Richmond, Essendon, and St Kilda in the first month of the season and are set to be without other notable names.
Todd Marshall will miss nearly the entire 2025 campaign after rupturing his Achilles at training, while Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Esava Ratugolea will also have delayed starts to the season.
