Restricted Free Agent Zak Butters

[ABAB]

There's no doubt Port Power will match and the 2027 1st rounder will be shit anyway.

 

[ABAB]

Ill throw one out of the blue and say Butters goes to Tasmania.

Think they will just give him absurd money and he takes it

Sits out 2027 in Tasmania and get paid heaps for doing nothing.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Sits out 2027 in Tasmania and get paid heaps for doing nothing.

Would be a 6 year deal with Port on a bajillion back ended dollars with a enormously dumb trade done to suit Port

Pick 5 in 2027 and 2028 + 9 in 2027 for Butters would work

 

[Danog]

Dons are the sleepers in this one. Merrett will leave and we will have more picks and so much money to offer.

I reckon we go for Bailey too.

He said he wanted to play in a good team

 

[Bald Headed Flog]

Given the AFL’s hesitation to clamp down on draft gaming (clubs agreeing not to bid, the Daniher free agency deal, etc), is there any compelling reason why we couldn’t see this:

Destination Club makes free agency offer. Port elect not to match, take the compensation pick.

Port and the destination club now make an entirely unrelated trade involving a superstar like Ivan Soldo

13

Ivan Soldo

Age

29

Ht

204cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.0

2star

K

3.9

2star

HB

4.1

3star

CL

2.4

4star

HO

24.2

5star

D

7.3

2star

K

3.1

1star

HB

4.1

3star

CL

2.4

4star

HO

23.0

5star

D

6.4

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.4

3star

CL

1.6

4star

HO

21.4

5star

for 2-3 first round picks.

End result is Port get more, destination club pays less, and everybody else pays for it because of the compensation pick being created out of thin air

 

[QPower]

Very funny seeing the assumption built in to most comments that he is leaving.

 

[Danog]

Very funny seeing the assumption built in to most comments that he is leaving.

He said he wanted to play in a good team

 

[Pure_Ownage]

They could do something wild like trade the compensation pick rather than having it get used on a bid.

They could but it will be hard as the 2027 draft is reasonably compromised so swapping it into there isnt going to generate the greatest value. I agree unless they finish last and can get picks 1 and 2 they are better off matching butters and getting multiple draft picks over several years to pay for their academy guys.

 

[briztoon]

Why ?

when they can just demand what they want and will get it from the club they are dealing with
makes absolutely no sense what you are saying

That’s then forces Port to trade the compensation pick, and they might not get as good an offer as what a team like Hawthorn or the Bulldogs could offer.

Why do the work yourself, when you can make another team do the work, and potentially weaken their draft hand at the same time.

Port could tell Hawthorn they want a 2026 first and two 2017 firsts. Hawks currently hold three 2026 second picks, that might

 

[tswizzle]

Given the AFL’s hesitation to clamp down on draft gaming (clubs agreeing not to bid, the Daniher free agency deal, etc), is there any compelling reason why we couldn’t see this:

Destination Club makes free agency offer. Port elect not to match, take the compensation pick.

Port and the destination club now make an entirely unrelated trade involving a superstar like Ivan Soldo for 2-3 first round picks.

End result is Port get more, destination club pays less, and everybody else pays for it because of the compensation pick being created out of thin air

Love the optimism but the AFL has to sign off on trades being vaguely fair and equitable, so unfortunately would reject it.
We tried some funky business to make the Paddy Ryder trade work which was akin to this, but the AFL blocked it - found the link here: https://www.afl.com.au/news/444446/...s blocked a,and Power to restart negotiations.

 

[tombomb]

They could but it will be hard as the 2027 draft is reasonably compromised so swapping it into there isnt going to generate the greatest value. I agree unless they finish last and can get picks 1 and 2 they are better off matching butters and getting multiple draft picks over several years to pay for their academy guys.

Which is basically my point.

A top 5 pick in the 2026 draft is a very valuable selection and potentially more valuable than anything they will be able to get in a trade.

Yes, they have academy players, but there is nothing stopping them from trading to avoid the compensation pick being used on a bid. There are lot of things they could do with a selection that valuable, including trading into the Tasmanian mini-draft.

I am not saying they would definitely do it.

But if they have a poor year and the compensation pick is really good, I think they will consider taking it over trying to haggle a decent deal out of Geelong or the Bulldogs. Neither of whom will likely have top 10 picks, let alone top 5 picks, to offer.

 

[Enviable Tradition]

Dons are the sleepers in this one. Merrett will leave and we will have more picks and so much money to offer.

I reckon we go for Bailey too.

Butters wants to win (and probably go home). I can't see him going to Essendon at all

 

[Westlo]

Very funny seeing the assumption built in to most comments that he is leaving.

How you getting dougie next year plus your f/s and two ngas the year after without using Butters?

With the changes coming I don’t think Essendon have a chance of getting Rodan in the same draft as Bewick, and you have two potential top ten picks versus our one.

 

[QPower]

How you getting dougie next year plus your f/s and two ngas the year after without using Butters?

With the changes coming I don’t think Essendon have a chance of getting Rodan in the same draft as Bewick, and you have two potential top ten picks versus our one.

Port’s priority will be to keep Butters.

They will worry about other things once he makes a decision.

All he has said is it is a football decision not a family/lifestyle decision so he will be looking at how prospective suitors perform in 2026 as well as Port.

 

[THE_GUN]

That’s then forces Port to trade the compensation pick, and they might not get as good an offer as what a team like Hawthorn or the Bulldogs could offer.

Why do the work yourself, when you can make another team do the work, and potentially weaken their draft hand at the same time.

Port could tell Hawthorn they want a 2026 first and two 2017 firsts. Hawks currently hold three 2026 second picks, that might

Yes thats exactly my point
the compo pick just gets swallowed up like Carltons pick this draft

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Which is basically my point.

A top 5 pick in the 2026 draft is a very valuable selection and potentially more valuable than anything they will be able to get in a trade.

Yes, they have academy players, but there is nothing stopping them from trading to avoid the compensation pick being used on a bid. There are lot of things they could do with a selection that valuable, including trading into the Tasmanian mini-draft.

I am not saying they would definitely do it.

But if they have a poor year and the compensation pick is really good, I think they will consider taking it over trying to haggle a decent deal out of Geelong or the Bulldogs. Neither of whom will likely have top 10 picks, let alone top 5 picks, to offer.

Look if you think they finish low enough to get a top 4 pick then I agree. But again it has limited value because wce might bid on cochrane at 1 and the pick gets swallowed up. But realistically it think port will finish somewhere between about 6th and 12th and for say pick 8 10 or 12 you are 1000 % matching the bid even if he picks a club like geelong/wbd that dont have early picks.

 

[tombomb]

Look if you think they finish low enough to get a top 4 pick then I agree. But again it has limited value because wce might bid on cochrane at 1 and the pick gets swallowed up. But realistically it think port will finish somewhere between about 6th and 12th and for say pick 8 10 or 12 you are 1000 % matching the bid even if he picks a club like geelong/wbd that dont have early picks.

I am not commenting on where I think they will finish. They could finish 16th, they could finish 3rd.

My whole point was based on the scenario where they finish low enough to get a top 5 pick as compensation.

If they finished that low, and Butters chooses to leave, would they just take the compo pick?

I think they would consider it. There's nothing stopping them from trading the selection if they think it will be swallowed by a bid next year.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I am not commenting on where I think they will finish. They could finish 16th, they could finish 3rd.

My whole point was based on the scenario where they finish low enough to get a top 5 pick as compensation.

If they finished that low, and Butters chooses to leave, would they just take the compo pick?

I think they would consider it. There's nothing stopping them from trading the selection if they think it will be swallowed by a bid next year.

That's fair. Im just saying it's tricky because of where the cochrane bid will be. I think in reality port wont finish low and so this will be a matched bid situation like with Cameron and dangerfield-im sure all clubs chasing butters would be aware of it.

 

[tombomb]

I don't think the cochrane bid is that relevant. They would have heaps options with a top 5 selection if they wanted to move it to avoid a bid.

But I think the assumption that they are guaranteed some huge trade package by matching is wrong. That isn't how the system works.

 

[THE_GUN]

I don't think the cochrane bid is that relevant. They would have heaps options with a top 5 selection if they wanted to move it to avoid a bid.

But I think the assumption that they are guaranteed some huge trade package by matching is wrong. That isn't how the system works.

The options to move it would have to be to a club with 3 solid 1st rounders over 3 years
Why bother doing the work when the team chasing him already has these picks

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I don't think the cochrane bid is that relevant. They would have heaps options with a top 5 selection if they wanted to move it to avoid a bid.

But I think the assumption that they are guaranteed some huge trade package by matching is wrong. That isn't how the system works.

It will be because butters wont be going near the draft and they know that. So they can match and push for a better deal than compo.for example if its Geelong or the dogs they will demand probably 3 r1s and a young SA player (with whatever later pick swaps exchanged between the sides) and they will probably get something close to that.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

1 top five pick compared to 3 picks in the teens that could end up in the 20s (or 30s with those tassie drafts).

I personally think there's less than 1% chance they finish bottom 4

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Your dreaming

West Coast , Richmond , Essendon are all bottom 4 with another 1-2 sides that could keep them company
Port will finish 10-12 range and have pick around 7 and their compo will be straight after which wont get them pick #1 and if they do how do they then have the points/picks for dougie

Ports best out come is to get 3 x 1st rounders in multiple years and take dougie with the picks this year
really make no sense for them not to match and i cannot see how you dont see this

Similar to the Dangerfield trade I doubt the destination club even bothers lodging the FA paperwork. Just go straight to trade

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I don’t think those suggesting we will be bottom 4 next year realise how heavily we were impacted by injuries this year and particularly the end of the year where we had games missing 10 best 22 at times. We won’t be top 4 but certainly won’t be filling the bottom couple positions.

You were on a hiding to nothing all year with the coach handover. Was a joke.

 

[briztoon]

I don't think the cochrane bid is that relevant. They would have heaps options with a top 5 selection if they wanted to move it to avoid a bid.

But I think the assumption that they are guaranteed some huge trade package by matching is wrong. That isn't how the system works.

I believe you’ve misunderstood what others have said. No one has said Port would get a huge trade package. Quite the opposite in fact.

Every team would know Port has to trade out the pick, but there would be limited clubs with the right mix of picks.