Western Bulldogs · 5 notes
The Western Bulldogs won the race for Zak Butters, but "it wasn't quite clear-cut that they were the front runners," Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps says. Port "had some work to do behind the scenes" with Butters and Peter Lenton on how his exit played out.
Hudson O'Keeffe and Finn Maginness weren't Plan B: Bulldogs list boss Michael Regan says "we were well advanced in conversations with them before Zak actually made his choice." Landing Zak Butters took everyone from Luke Beveridge to the president: "everyone played their part."
Zak Butters says ankle surgery won't cost him round 1 at the Western Bulldogs. He "lent towards different clubs at different stages" but never told Geelong they were his pick. He weighed revealing his move home a year early: "the AFL landscape isn't probably quite ready for it."
Zach Butters is a Western Bulldog on a long-term, big-money deal. List boss Michael Regan: "Is this a risk? Yes. Is it a calculated risk? Absolutely." Laitham Vandermeer has drawn no firm inquiries, but the club would assess a fair-value offer if he wants a fresh start.
Zak Butters on joining the Western Bulldogs after a long process: "once I knew, I just wanted to get it done." Raised a Bulldogs supporter in the west, he caught the train from Bacchus Marsh to the 2016 finals, "still one of my favourite days," and wants to "run that back."