The Bulldogs ultimately won the race for the most sought-after free agent signature in AFL history, bringing in midfielder Zak Butters on a record-breaking nine-year, $18 million deal.
While the money played a major role — and having it locked in for nearly a decade is perfect for Butters — the chance for the 26-year-old to move to Melbourne and challenge for premierships was just as crucial.
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And, even more so, a conversation with Bulldogs list boss Michael Regan finally settled him on the western Melbourne club over Geelong, Collingwood, and Richmond.
“‘Reegs’ came out to my place and I had a really good chat. He knew, coming around that day, at that point in time, Geelong was my preference,” Butters said.
We sat and spoke for an hour, and he asked me questions about what I wanted to get out of footy and the bigger picture as well, and what you want to be remembered for and how going home and coming home were different things.
The pitch, Butters said, was simple: “You can come back to Melbourne and play for a club you’re not really aligned to or have any connections to. But coming home and actually going to where you’re from is a bit more powerful.”
“From there, I started to think more about how coming back to the West, being a good role model, having an impact in the community,” he explained on his first day at the Bulldogs. “One day, eventually footy ends, and there are other areas of life you can impact. My dad went for the Bulldogs growing up, my pop went for the Bulldogs, so I just felt more naturally connected to that side of things.”
And then, of course, Butters has always made it very clear that if he was leaving Port Adelaide, he wanted to be in the mix for a flag. He’s a three-time All-Australian, but he’s never played in a Grand Final before.
“They’re a big, strong club and they always want to compete. That’s probably the messaging they gave across to me as well — that they always want to be competing,” he said on the Bulldogs sales pitch.
Regan said the same: “We’re in it to win it every year. We believe we’ve got most of the building blocks for that now, in terms of players and in terms of what the culture and the group is like and the connection inside our club.”
“It is an exciting time. You don’t want to put labels on what you’re trying to achieve, but we’re aiming to win, and we’re aiming to win every year.”
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