Zak Butters ‘110 per cent’ invested at Port as club kicks off Josh Carr era

While Zak Butters’ future beyond 2026 is uncertain, the Port Adelaide superstar is fully invested right now.

Mitch Georgiades says Butters has “bought in 110 per cent” at the Power this pre-season as the club prepares to put its revised game plan under Josh Carr to the test.

Butters’ future has been a hot topic over the summer ahead of a year where the in-demand midfielder is eligible for free agency and set to be targeted by multiple Victorian clubs as he considers a move back home.

Watch the 2026 AFL pre-season match sims and AAMI Community Series LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Speaking to foxfooty.com.au, Georgiades said Butters has fully committed to putting his best foot forward at Alberton and driving the club to success in 2025.

“He’s brought in 110 per cent. He’s so football orientated, he’s just a competitive beast,” Georgiades said.

“Every time he’s on that field he’s absolutely playing footy and full hearted into making this team as good as it can possibly be. He leads from the front, on and off the field.

“It’s obviously a big year from him, but I think at the forefront of his mind is winning and playing footy.”

SEE ALSO: Ken Hinkley’s ‘biased’ Port call as 2026 AFL predictions revealed

It comes during a transitional period at Alberton after Carr took over from long-time coach Ken Hinkley following a nine-win season.

The Power have added many other new faces to Carr’s team and their wider footy department including former Suns coach Stuart Dew and ex-Bombers boss Ben Rutten.

It’s made for a “really fresh and exciting” pre-season with different ideas and a tweaked game plan.

“There’s obviously changes within the program. There’s different ways ‘Kenny’ and Josh coach. The way they see the game is definitely

different,” Georgiades said.

“There’s people we brought in from different clubs with multiple experiences and only makes us a better side.

“There will be slight changes in the way we play the game — the whole game is going to going to complement each other. The offence is going to be a bit more free moving, opportunities to play what we see and play smart football and then being able to defend behind is something we’re going to really prioritise this year.

“It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing how the season plays out.”

Georgiades said players have already formed strong relationships with Carr given he’d been at the club the last couple of years.

“He’s obviously slightly younger, there’s different demographics from ‘Kenny’, so there’s different relationships from that regard,” the star forward added.

Just don’t bring up the R-word within the four walls of Alberton.

Port Adelaide chair David Koch earlier this month revealed the club had banned the word “rebuild” and said finals were still firmly on the agenda in Carr’s first season in charge.

It’s a message echoed by Georgiades as the club looks to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2025.

“We’re still obviously striving for the ultimate success and really believe we can challenge in finals,” he said.

“We’re not using it as an excuse, but last year injuries did hinder us at stages.

“There’s so much talent in this team. If we can get it all working as one and working together, there’s no real excuse or limit on what we can do.”

Georgiades named recruits Will Brodie, Corey Durdin and Jacob Wehr as teammates who’ve impressed over the pre-season, while second-year forward Joe Berry is “really lighting up the track.”

As for his own development, Georgiades wants to continue to round out his game and expand his leadership, following a career-best 58-goal season and State of Origin appearance for Western Australia.

The 24-year old’s importance to Carr’s front six has never been more vital with Todd Marshall making the move to defence in 2026 and with the likes of Charlie Dixon and Willie Rioli retiring over the last couple of years.

“I think it’s about continuing to challenge myself on how I can get better and impact the game in more ways than kicking goals,” Georgiades said.

“That might be playing a bit higher at stages. Obviously last year we lost a fair few key forwards to injury and it sort of resulted in me playing a bit deeper.

“It’d like to add some more strings to my bow and to be able to play different positions and complement our forward line.

“One thing that’s great about our forward line is we’ve got a lot of versatility. Particularly with our talls, they’re all very mobile, between Jack Lukosius, Jack Whitclock and Ollie Lord. So that’s probably the strength for us.

“I want to grow my leadership and continue to challenge myself and the players around me to really drive this group forward and contend for finals.”