Subtle rules tweak shuts down ‘unfair’ $18m ‘top-up’ deal
Port Adelaide‘s hopes of using Todd Marshall to get more draft picks as part of Zak Butters’ trade to the Western Bulldogs has all but been shut down by the AFL.
Butters, a restricted free agent, nominated the Bulldogs as his desired landing site in 2027, leaving the Power searching for the best way to capitalise on his exit.
(L-R) Todd Marshall and Zak Butters in action for the Power. Sarah Reed
Port Adelaide has held talks with the Bulldogs about the potential deals to secure Butters, with a separate deal for Marshall likely to help get that trade over the line.
Port Adelaide are reportedly seeking three first-round picks to let Butters depart the club on a monster $18m deal over nine years, while Marshall would also be heading to the Bulldogs in exchange for two first-round picks.
Marshall’s departure would also see the Power required to pay a large portion of his remaining salary over the next three years, roughly around $800,000 annually.
But Marshall’s trade offer has all but been denied by the AFL, who reminded clubs this week they cannot engage or intend to engage in trades that include financial ‘top-ups’ if another player has moved between the same teams in that same year as a free agent.
A memo sent out by AFL football performance general manager Greg Swann made is clear any trades involving top-up payments must be communicated clearly to the competition’s organisers before it is lodged.
This means while Marshall can still be traded to the Bulldogs in October, Port Adelaide would not be required to pay any portion of his current deal.
SEN this week reported the AFL had only recently tweaked the language around top-up trades to include intentions to engage, leaving the Bulldogs and Power under the assumption that they could lodge Marshall’s trade before submitting the final details of Butters’ move.
However, the new language that calls of intentions to do exactly that has forced both clubs to reconsider how they approach the Butters deal going forward.
Kane Cornes had previously called for the AFL to crackdown on the “ridiculous” looming Butters trade due to the lack of compensation on the table.
“If the Western Bulldogs can pay the biggest contract ever and only give up Pick 12 and a future first ... that is not fair,” he said on SEN’s Locked In.
“The AFL should have stepped in right now to quash that deal for Marshall.
“It’s unfair on the other clubs. If you want to trade for Zak Butters, it is one trade, not two. We cannot accept this as an industry under the current rules. How can it go through? It’s not the system ... it’s an absolute disgrace.”
The AFL trade window will open from October 5 to October 14.
