Richmond triple premiership player Jack Riewoldt believes his former club is firming as a landing spot for Port Adelaide free agent Zak Butters.
The Power star is being courted by the Tigers, Geelong, the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood, with the latter understood to have tabled a club-record deal to lure him to Olympic Park.
Riewoldt thinks the allure of creating a dynasty at Punt Road with the "nucleus" from the 2024 draft there, as well as the financial offer and ability to give Port Adelaide a nice deal, is reason enough for the on-baller to be attracted to the move.
“From what I've heard, Butters watches footy closely and has a long-term view on what his next step looks like,” he began on Fox Footy's On the Couch.
“I think about him looking at the Bulldogs the other night, and I know there's no Sam Darcy at the moment, (but) it gets me thinking about what's in the forefront of Butters' mind.
“Is he in the game to win a premiership next year? More than likely, he's going to sign an eight-year deal at whichever club he ends up at.
“And I just wonder whether it (his thinking) is ‘next year, I need to win a premiership', or ‘what does the next five to eight years look like?'
“Richmond aren't going to win the premiership next year; they're probably not going to win a flag in the next two years, but that group there is the nucleus of the next dynasty for the Richmond Football Club,” he declared.
“And I think Zak Butters is the driver and potentially the captain.
“They clearly went to the draft table and took seven first-round picks two years ago, because that's what you build a nucleus around.”
Riewoldt also floated Tasmania as a "huge curveball" given the strong link to Ken Hinkley, who was announced as the Devils' inaugural coach last month.
The AFL's 19th team will have the trade capital and finances to facilitate a deal for Butters with ease.
“I think an exercise Butters is looking at is where is the happiest hunting ground in the next eight years?” he continued.
“And you automatically look at your under-22 players on each list.
“With the draft and the way it happens — I think Tasmania is a huge curveball in this — Richmond is the only side which currently sits above Port Adelaide in the draft order.
“And with young Dougie Cochrane coming through … it makes it an interesting discussion, that I think Richmond, with that list of young players … they are the frontrunner for Zak Butters at the moment.”
