Port Adelaide star Zak Butters will be holding off contract talks as the rumour mill continues to swirl around his future.
Butters - who was awarded the Peter Badcoe deal for best player - is locked away at Alberton until the end of 2026 when he becomes a free agent, but Victorian clubs, including Essendon, Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond, are looking to make moves on him this year.
The dual All-Australian made it clear his focus is getting the Power back into finals contention after a horrid start to 2025, which has seen three consecutive victories, including Saturday's nine-point win over North Melbourne.
"At the footy club, it doesn't really get spoken about," Butters said post-game.
"I feel like right now, for me, it's about winning games of footy.
"When I came back into the team, we probably weren't in such a great spot.
"So my goal as a leader and a vice-captain was to help bring the team back to a better spot and get us into a better spot moving forward.
"It's still 18 months away, and it's going to be a big decision. But right now, it's probably not one that's front of mind.
"We're in the midst of an AFL season and I want to get back to playing finals footy โ there's some bigger things put at the forefront."
The vice-captain of Port Adelaide has his hands full off the field, but the Kangaroos clash was no reprieve as emotions boiled over between Jason Horne-Francis and his former club.
Horne-Francis departed North Melbourne after one season following his selection at Pick 1 in the 2021 National Draft, and he tangled with Jy Simpkin in the third term.
Butters likened the midfielder to "trying to cage a raging bull".
"We're pretty similar," Butters said.
"We'll look back in half an hour and laugh about it, but right then, just trying to get him back to being a good teammate.
"First of all, let's win this game of footy and go from there.
"But I'd much rather that than have to work someone up to compete and play."
Power coach Ken Hinkley admitted that Horne-Francis allowed the situation to get the better of him, but suggested that free kicks are lost on the 21-year-old.
"He's an emotional player, and I love that about him," Hinkley said.
"He's such a fierce competitor, and he's playing against North Melbourne ... where he came from.
"I think the thing we miss with him, is he has to work damn hard for any free, yet he can give them away a little bit easy. I would recommend that he gets to earn his free kicks a lot more than most people.
"He was frustrated. He let his emotions boil over into stuff he couldn't control ... when he gets a bit like that, we have just got to try and bring him back down.
"And his captain and vice-captain were really good at helping him."
The Power will look to continue their winning ways when they face the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium in Round 8.
