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.