Butterpelli? “I’m not writing that, you might”.

Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli has described Port Adelaide free agent Zak Butters as a "great kid", but played down their regular connections during State of Origin.

Bontempelli said his closeness with Butters was partly a product of alphabetical order.

"Because Butters and Bontempelli are quite close together, we just happened to end up on the plane together or here and there," Bontempelli told Zero Hanger.

The Dogs are one of the clubs leading that pack to snare Butters at the end of the season, with murmurs linking him to the Kennel running rife for at least 18 months.

"I know the stuff that's going on in the background and it's not my job at all to apply any pressure. There was no selling of this or that," Bontempelli said.

"I just wanted to enjoy the few days with every player of every club. He was one. I got to know him a bit better."

Could it be a case of "Butterpelli" at Whitten Oval?

"I'm not writing that. You might," Bontempelli said.

"I just enjoyed his time with him, like I did with Daicos, Rowell and Anderson. Young mids who are going to dominate the game for years."

Butters is the hottest free agency target in the game and looks destined to leave Port.

Given Sam Walsh signed an eight-year deal at Carlton this week, it would be impossible to rule out Butters signing a deal of eight or more. He turns 26 in September this year.