Trade Talk: Power to fend off rival interest in superstar midfielder

Despite a hot and cold start to the season on the field, Port Adelaide have their hands full, with plenty of off-field conversations to be had over the course of 2025.

Deliberation surrounding contract extensions will remain at the forefront for the Power, with a number of key players facing expiring deals over the coming seasons.

With All-Australian midfielder Zak Butters’ contract to expire at the conclusion of the 2026 season, GM of footy Chris Davies and the club are prepared for the onslaught of offers set to come his way in the coming months.

Despite battling a knee injury that will see the superstar on the sidelines for another three to five weeks, questions surrounding Butters’ future have already commenced off the back of a third-place finish in the Brownlow Medal to go with back-to-back club best and fairest awards.

With the 24-year-old Darley product set to demand a high price and clubs around the competition with the cash to match, Davies is confident that the elite midfielder will remain in black, white and teal for the foreseeable future.

“I think Zak’s primary concern right now is to get back on the field and help Port Adelaide in 2025,” Davies told SEN Breakfast.

“No doubt there are going to be offers for Zak when the time comes, but he is coming out of contract.

“That is not until the end of next year. I imagine at that point he is going to be a restricted free agent, so we’ve got control of that situation anyway.

“There is no doubt that Zak is going to get paid.

“He is already reasonably well paid, but in the context of where the season is going to go and his performance, he is going to be showing us the money.”

Beyond Butters, a number of first team players remain on deals expiring at the conclusion of the 2025 season, headlined by Miles Bergman, Kane Farrell, Ryan Burton and Jase Burgoyne.

“We have got no restriction around keeping the players that we are wanting to keep,” Davies continued.

“Our salary cap has been well managed over the time. We certainly have the money if we want to keep the players who are out of contract.

“Kane Farrell is out of contract at this end of the year, Miles Bergman… there are some players that we have a more immediate need to get re-signed.

“Zak will be certainly a player that we will want to keep when the time comes, and with where the dollars are going in the AFL, all of those guys are going to get paid, and fair play to them because they have all performed pretty well.”

Davies also revealed that Jack Lukosius’ knee blow-up is much worse that initially expected, after he was pulled from the ground just four minutes into his home debut.

The former Sun has a fractured kneecap and could be sidelined for some months.

“Jack is going to have surgery today, so we think probably three to four months,” Davies said.

“It wasn’t a great injury, a fractured kneecap, he had a significant amount of fluid drain from it yesterday because it had blown up pretty significantly.

“What that did on the weekend was obviously give Christian Moraes an opportunity, a guy that came in effectively through the Houston trade at the end of last year.

“What it’s going to mean for our coaches is they are going to have to work out another innovative solution to our forward line needs.”

With contract extensions, coaching transitions and a rollercoaster start to 2025, plenty of eyes will remain on the Power over the course of the season.

The club is set for a telling contest against a struggling Essendon this Thursday night at Marvel Stadium.