Port Adelaide eyeing potential Zak Butters replacement amid trade speculation

Zak Butters to leave Port Adelaide might already seems like a forgone conclusion to some, and while the Power are going to do everything in their power to keep him, the team that infamously refuses to rebuild also won’t enter next season without a backup plan.

Out of contract Melbourne midfielder Tom Sparrow is said to be on the Power’s radar, according to Herald Sun reporter Ed Bourke.

However, they aren’t alone in the hunt for the 25-year-old, with fellow South Australian powerhouse Adelaide also said to be in the mix, with the Crows in need of some depth in their midfield themselves.

Sparrow has maintained his happiness at Melbourne, but is currently undecided on where his future lies at the moment.

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“I’m probably not going to comment on (interest from South Australia). I think it’s still too early. I know I’m out of contract, but I love it at Melbourne, and I love the way we’re playing,” he told Code Sports.

The 2021 premiership player is enjoying some of the best football of his career in 2026, with more opportunity in the Demons’ midfield following the exits of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver over the off-season.

His best performance of the season to date came when he played a crucial role in the Dees’ 43-point comeback win over Carlton in round three, where he accumulated 29 disposals and kicked a goal.

Meanwhile, despite helping their superstar successfully appeal a decision this week to clear him of an «abusive and insulting language towards an umpire» charge, the Power look set to lose Zak Butters this off-season.

Like Sparrow, Butters is out of contract at the end of this season, and is believed to be entertaining a move back home to Victoria, with the Western Bulldogs currently the favourites to land his signature.

Port Adelaide eyeing potential Zak Butters replacement amid trade speculation

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