Zak Butters could go from Darley Devils premiership celebrations to a Brownlow Medallist in 48 hours
Five days after Port Adelaide’s straight-sets exit, Zak Butters was back training with his local team. Now he’ll go from flag celebrations to one of the Brownlow Medal favourites.
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From his local team celebrating in a pigeon shed to him being the toast of the AFL at the Crown Palladium 48 hours later.
That may be what is in store for Port Adelaide star Zak Butters.
Butters watched his junior side, Darley, win the Ballarat league’s grand final on Saturday and the Devils saluted their one-point success in their makeshift change rooms at Bacchus Marsh Homing Pigeon Club.
After wearing a Darley hat and jumper at the game, the midfielder will switch into a suit to attend the Brownlow Medal in Melbourne on Monday night as one of the count’s favourites.
Butters’s performances have garnered plenty of attention this season, leading to him receiving the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award, his first All-Australian blazer and the players’ association’s Robert Rose Most Courageous gong.
Darley president Mark Shelly told this masthead Butters would definitely feel more at home at a country footy grand final with his mates than among the glitz and glam of a red carpet.
“There’s no doubt in the wide world,” Shelly said.
“He’ll take it in his stride.”
Butters filled in as the runner at a Darley match in April – the day after a brilliant display in Port’s victory over St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.
Against North Ballarat on Saturday, he again lent a hand, helping the Devils’ coaches.
Then post-game he sang the club song with the team on Ballarat City Oval.
Butters returned to his hometown in the lead-up to the grand final and even trained with the Devils on Thursday night, wearing his old No. 7 Darley guernsey.
His former next-door neighbour Billy Myers, who sealed Darley’s flag with a winning goal in the dying seconds, said the Power hard nut’s presence was awesome.
“Just having him around the boys gets us all up and about,” Myers said.
Darley senior coach and ex-Essendon assistant Dan Jordan added: “He gives so much back to Darley. He’d be gutted that he’s not still in the AFL finals (after Port’s straight-sets exit), but he’s there on Thursday helping us out and here today supporting.”
The Devils’ victory secured their first A-grade men’s flag since 2017.
Butters impressed in that previous grand final as a 16-year-old, then began catching recruiters’ eyes playing for Western Jets and Vic Metro.
His manager, Kapital Sports Group’s Mark Kleiman, said Butters’ standout traits this season – smarts, skillfulness, bravery, passion – had always been part of his kitbag.
“His footy IQ was off the charts,” Kleiman recalled of watching the 181cm, 77kg Victorian at junior level.
“He’d do things in games where you’d watch him and go ‘wow, he’s thinking ahead of the game’.
“When he came up and played under-18s, he just went to another level.
“I remember one game he copped this massive corkie right at the top of his thigh.
“An ambulance came because they thought he might have broken his femur.
“He got stretchered off and put in an ambulance … but if my memory serves right he was back in two weeks playing.
“What he is now is what he was like coming through – he hasn’t changed one bit.”
Port Adelaide swooped on Butters with pick 12 in the 2018 national draft and handed him a debut in round 1 the next season.
At the end of his second campaign, he was an all-Australian nominee and had played in a preliminary final at the age of 20.
Butters elevated his game this year after becoming a full-time midfielder.
His on-ball time rose from 47 per cent in 2022 to 76 per cent in 2023, according to Champion Data.
So too did his averages in disposals (now 27.5, +24 per cent), metres gained (432, +55 per cent), inside 50s (5.2, +58 per cent), groundball gets (8.3, +32 per cent) and score involvements (6.9 per cent, +38 per cent).
“The regeneration by putting the young blokes (Butters, Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis) in the midfield is something he’s relished,” Kleiman said.
“He’s always been hanging out to get in there and get the opportunity, and it’s paid off with him having a pretty good season.
“He’s a beauty.”
Butters is third-favourite to claim the Brownlow, behind Collingwood young gun Nick Daicos and Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli.
Coaches gave Butters the maximum 10 votes in seven games this season – in rounds 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 21 and 23 – as he won their award with 109.
He was seven clear of Bontempelli and 10 ahead of Daicos.
Kleiman expected a tight count on Monday night.
“It probably depends on how far Daicos might be ahead,” he said.
“Bontempelli’s had a pretty good year, (Christian) Petracca.
“Him and Connor certainly will poll well, Dan Houston will feature a few times, Horne-Francis might get a couple of threes.”
Darley is holding a Brownlow night on Monday where people donning Power gear will enter for free, rather than have to pay $20.
“That’s just to watch it as a club in anticipation that Zak’s going to be in the top two or three,” Shelly said.
“Words couldn’t describe how we would feel as a club and a community if he was able to get the prize.
“We’d be absolutely over the moon.
“He’s such a down-to-earth lad that I doubt he would change the way he goes about things.
“When he comes to our games, he’s just another kid and he’ll stop and have photos with all the juniors.”
Darley has been using the pigeon shed as change rooms because of a delay in rebuilding ones demolished a couple of years ago.
The team celebrated there after returning from Ballarat City Oval on Saturday.
Butters, who was wearing his 2017 Darley premiership hat, and other supporters joined them once they moved to the club’s pavilion.
After playing a small part in the Devils’ latest success, Butters would be hoping to lead Port Adelaide to end its flag drought next season.
As for Darley, its premiership commemorations rolled into a family day on Sunday then mad Monday.
So a Butters Brownlow will be the cherry on top of a huge weekend for the town and club the Power young gun still holds so dear.
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