Three in a row: Butters is Port Adelaide’s best again

Zak Butters is Port Adelaide’s best and fairest for a third straight season.

The star midfielder claimed the John Cahill Medal on Tuesday night after another superb campaign for the Power.

Vice-captain Butters polled 134 votes to finish clear of gun forward Mitch Georgiades (118), with captain and 2022 winner Connor Rozee in third (117).

Off-season recruit Joe Richards (84) and defender Aliir Aliir (73) rounded out the top five.

Butters joins Robbie Gray as the only other Port player to win back-to-back-to-back B&Fs in Port’s AFL era. Gray claimed the top gong from 2014 to 2016.

Only two other players in the entire history of the club have achieved the feat - Thomas Smith (1877-79) and Harry Phillips (1891-93).

Butters, 24, joined an elite group of players to win three successive best and fairests before the age of 25.

Other award winners on the night included Christian Moraes who won the Gavin Wanganeen Medal as the best under-21 player while Willem Drew won the player-voted Fos Williams Medal as best team man.

Esava Ratugolea won the Coaches’ Award as the most improved player and the retiring Willie Rioli won the John McCarthy Medal for his work in the community.

John Cahill Medal - 2025

1 - Zak Butters (134)
2 - Mitch Georgiades (118)
3 - Connor Rozee (117)
4 - Joe Richards (84)
5 - Aliir Aliir (73)
6 - Miles Bergman (67)
7 - Darcy Byrne-Jones (64)
8 - Lachie Jones (58)
9 - Esava Ratugolea (57)
Eq.10 - Jason Horne-Francis (56)
Eq.10 - Ollie Wines (56)

Other awards

Fos Williams Medal (best team man): Willem Drew
Leading Goalkicker: Mitch Georgiades (58 goals)
Gavin Wanganeen Award (best U21): Christian Moraes
Coaches’ Award (most improved): Esava Ratugolea
John McCarthy Award (for community service): Willie Rioli