Port Adelaide's new head of football, Ben Rutten, has explained how the club plans to keep out-of-contract star Zak Butters, with the star set to become a restricted free agent at the end of 2026.
Rutten joins the Power after coaching with Richmond and Essendon and having played 229 games across 12 seasons for Adelaide. It has been a time of change at the Power, with Josh Carr taking over the head coaching role and various assistant coaching changes made.
Butters has had a lot of speculation about his future, with the Power reportedly rejecting a potential return home to Victoria in the recent trade period, as Rutten says his signing will be a "priority" for the club.
“Zak’s a star player and a quality person for us,” Rutten told SEN SA Breakfast.
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“We certainly want him and see him as a long-term player for us, and that’s going to be a priority for us."
Rutten said the way they plan on keeping Butters and other players is by having the best football program and environment in the league.
“The best way I’ve seen retention work and attracting players to your footy club is to create the best program and create the best environment. It’s not necessarily about trying to convince people why to stay," he said.
“Zak is in our four walls, and we will be able to create an environment where hopefully, he feels that he has to stay for his own development, and he can feel success.
“If any player ever wants to leave our club, it’s the hardest decision they will ever have to make. That’s going to be our focus.
“We would love Zak to be a long-term player for us, as with a lot of our players, but our focus will be on the program we are running and the environment, so that players don’t want to leave.”