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North Melbourne look set for another year of pain on-field, and it could get even worse with Richmond owning their first pick of the draft. But the Roos remain adamant they made the right call.
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Port Adelaide chief executive Matthew Richardson says he is comfortable where the Power is placed to retain star midfielder Zak Butters long-term.
The Power vice-captain is contracted until the end of 2026 but Victorian clubs are preparing to throw massive offers at him to lure him back from South Australia.
Butters himself has said he intends to honour his current contract at the Power, but will take time to decide his long-term future with his next deal arguably his one chance for a massive payday.
Richardson said keeping Butters at Alberton beyond next year was a priority for the Power.
“It would certainly be right up there,” he said.
“Zak is going really well at the moment, we know how much the group means to Zak and vice versa so I’m sure that will take care of itself.”
Butters’ importance to the Power has only been reinforced by his return to action after pre-season surgery on his knee coinciding with Port getting its season back on track after a slow start to 2025.
He claimed a perfect 10 coaches votes in the Power’s win over Sydney on Sunday, adding to his nine in the win over Hawthorn the previous week.
Fellow leadership group member Willem Drew said the return of Butters was huge for the team.
“Zak has been massive, everyone knows that he is a massive player for this team,” he said.
“He just competes, loves the contest, so skilful and a really valuable team member.”
Last month Power footy boss Chris Davies said the club was ready for the lucrative offers that will come at Butters and Port would be able to match them.
Butters’ likely status as a restricted free agent would allow the Power to match any offer from rivals should he remain unsigned next year.
The Power would love to be able to re-sign Butters as soon as possible but with the 24-year-old wishing to take his time on his future, Richardson said he was confident in the list management team at Alberton.
“Our list management team does an outstanding job, they are working well in advance and it will be no different in this situation,” he said.
“I have great confidence in the people who are managing that as well as managing our list profile.”
DASHING DOG MAKES CASE FOR NEXT DEAL
Bulldogs dasher Jason Johannisen is happy to be part of the growing one-year club at Whitten Oval as he hopes to stay fit and build a case to play on in 2026.
As Rory Lobb eyes an early extension on his deal that still runs until the end of 2026, Johannisen isn’t opposed to going year to year.
Johannisen was made to wait in 2024 after another torrid injury run, signing a one-year extension in October.
The 32-year-old suffered another serious hamstring injury in January, but has played in the last two games for the Dogs and was back to his best with 25 touches in Sunday’s win over St Kilda.
The 2016 Norm Smith medallist is due to play game 199 on Saturday against GWS.
Johannisen said he had no plans on slowing down, in his run or his career, and wanted to prove he was worth going around again next season.
At Whitten Oval, Tom Liberatore has been on rolling one-year deals of late and defender Taylor Duryea quipped last year he was on his eighth 12-month contract in a row.
Liam Jones is keen to play on at age 34 and would likely fall in the same category.
“We have a few of us getting older,” Johannisen told this masthead.
“That is just part of the system of football clubs and how they roll. I want personally to build continuity with my football and then the club will reward me.”
Lobb, 32, only came to football late after taking up the game in his late teenage years.
He believes that holds him in good stead to continue playing well beyond his current contract.
“I am an ‘extend early’ kind of guy,” Lobb told this masthead, with his current deal to expire at the end of 2026.
“Now that I’m a little bit older, it’s a little bit harder to do that, but hopefully I can extend soon.”
The Bulldogs is his third club after time at GWS and Fremantle, but he “doesn’t want to go anywhere”.
“I’m enjoying my football at this club … hopefully we can work on a bit of an extension. I was drafted a little bit late, so I always say maybe I can play a little bit longer.
“I don’t feel like a 32 year old. I honestly feel like I act like I’m 27 half the time or just like all the young boys that are around me, and I feel like you’re only as old as you act.
“So the fact that I act like a child half the time when I’m around the football club, I feel like I can play for a long time.
“I’ve got a few little side bets with the boys on how long that I’ll play for. I won’t mention the time frames, but there’s some outrageous ones that I’ve thrown out there. And I’ve got a couple of little coffee bets going on. I might have to follow up in a fair few years with a few of the boys if I’m still playing and cash them in.”
BONT SET TO STAY BUT NO TALKS YET
Marcus Bontempelli still isn’t ready to pick up contract talks with the Western Bulldogs but he certainly won’t be heading to Collingwood or West Coast.
The Dogs star has been happy to delay contract talks until he feels the time is right, concentrating on his rehab from a calf injury before his return against St Kilda.
There was speculation he had met with the Pies then a report in the West that he might be gettable for the Eagles.
But it’s understood he just wanted to concentrate on his rehab before deciding when the time was right to lock himself away at the Dogs long-term.
That point hasn’t been reached yet, but he isn’t going anywhere.
The Dogs are keen to lock away Ed Richards and talks continue on a deal of up to six years for the brilliant free agent.
CEO Ameet Bains said recently of those talks: “(List boss Sam Power and Bontempelli’s manager Tom Petroro) are currently talking about Ed and they will pick up Marcus on the way through. No one internally is concerned about the time frame.
“Marcus once the season rolls around concentrates on leading the club and the injury is an added curve ball. Last time it wasn’t done until round eight or nine of the season so from a Dogs perspective both those guys will be playing at the Bulldogs beyond this year.”
Vice-captain Tom Liberatore has also been in hot form, with his exceptional run-down chase on Brad Hill leading to standing applause from the Dogs faithful on Sunday night.
But he has customarily done his one-year deals midway through the season at the earliest.
His creaky knees, age at 32 years old and his concussion history all mean neither party is in a rush.
He has joined the stables of Tom Petroro, who is also the manager of Richards and Bontempelli.
While many players have recently been medically retired by the AFL after advanced brain scans, Liberatore has recovered well from a series of concussions and had no lasting damage after those scans.
So he has been given permission to play on and is in a rich vein of form.
DEE KEEN TO REMAIN IN RED AND BLUE
Melbourne defender Judd McVee is keen to stay at the Demons as he finally gets back into the senior side after a long-term hamstring injury.
McVee isn’t particularly homesick and has shown his brilliant best in recent seasons as a miserly lock down defender who can provide some offensive drive.
While Clayton Oliver’s future still seems a mystery given Geelong’s interest, Christian Petracca’s management told this masthead last week he had no intention of leaving.
The club has most of its priority signings locked away despite a long list of out-of-contract players including Tom McDonald, Charlie Spargo, Jake Melksham and Jack Billings.
Melbourne now must find a way to get back into the draft given it not only gave its first-rounder to Essendon, it also traded third-rounders.
The Demons moved their third-rounder to Adelaide and got the Lions third-rounder, so on present ladder position only their second-rounder would be in the top 50 of the national draft.
CAT HAPPY WHERE HE IS DESPITE RIVAL INTEREST
Geelong midfielder Tom Atkins is a stayer – physically and contractually.
Reports have indicated that the Cats tough nut, who is out of contract at the end of this season, is in the sights of rival clubs.
They may be looking but it could just be window shopping with the ballwinner telling this masthead that he’s well and truly keen to stay in the hoops, having been born and bred in Geelong before he was taken by the Cats in the 2019 rookie draft.
“That’s between my manager and Mack (Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie) and Simon Murphy (Cats head of player payments) … they’re just working on it,” Atkins said this week.
“But I think everyone’s pretty aware that I want to stay at Geelong. It’s no big secret.
“As long as they’re happy to have me, I’m happy to be here.”
ROO BULLISH ON PICK SWAP
North Melbourne is adamant its decision to hand over a future first-rounder for key position defender Matt Whitlock can be vindicated despite the risky nature of that decision.
It comes with the Roos open to getting back into the first round of this draft if the chance arises to continue recruiting elite talent.
The Roos handed over the 2025 first-rounder and secured Richmond’s second-rounder this year for last year’s pick 27 (Whitlock), hopeful they would roar up the ladder.
Right now on ladder position it looks a bizarre trade.
But having been pilloried for their midfielder-focused drafting, the Roos believed Whitlock was a 12-year player in defence.
They believed they would have recruited a very similar type of player this year in a draft which shapes as the most compromised in history given NGA and father-son picks.
Football boss Todd Viney said over the weekend the club planned to get 12 months of development into Whitlock, who debuted recently then suffered an ankle injury.
“We have got (key position defender) Will Dawson coming through and we did it for a reason. We needed to address our key talls. They are hard to come by and we really liked Matt Whitlock and wanted to get him into the system. We got a key tall 12 months early and he can put on some muscle and get some experience.”
The Roos still have their second-round pick and their future first-rounder so could find a way to get back into this year’s first round.
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