Arabic version: زاك باترز يبلغ بورت أديلايد أنه سيعود إلى فيكتوريا

According to ABC News, Zak Butters has told Port Adelaide he intends to leave through free agency and return home to Victoria. The 25-year-old midfielder is a three-time best and fairest winner and dual All-Australian whose future had dominated headlines throughout the season.

Butters said he had wrestled with the decision and had not taken it lightly. He said he had loved his time in Adelaide but wanted to spend more time around family and friends. He also said he would always be a Port Adelaide person and would value what the club had done for him.

The Power said Butters and his management had informed the club that he intended to exercise his rights as a restricted free agent and explore a return to Victoria. Port Adelaide said it would work to facilitate the request while securing the best outcome for the club.

Butters debuted in 2019 and is a three-time John Cahill Medallist. He played 17 games this season before a syndesmosis injury in Round 18 prematurely ended his campaign. Coach Josh Carr said after the club’s 10-point win over Essendon that the star midfielder was likely departing.

Port Adelaide had maintained throughout the season that it would match any bid for Butters and force a trade in an effort to maximise its draft capital. In May, chief executive Matthew Richardson said the club would focus on its best interests, saying there would be offers it could match.