Zak Butters contemplated playing out his last season at Port Adelaide with it publicly known that he would be coming home to Victoria.

The Western Bulldogs unveiled their 26-year-old superstar recruit at Whitten Oval on Monday following his blockbuster move as a free agent on a nine-year deal worth $2 million a season.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Zak Butters arrives at the Western Bulldogs

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With a year left on his contract at the Power, Butters knew he was leaving Alberton following open conversations with the club at the end of last season and discussed going public with his plans with manager Peter Lenton.

“I definitely contemplated and thought about that,” the midfielder told reporters.

“But I think the AFL landscape isn’t probably quite ready for it.”

In the NRL, players can sign deals with rival clubs once they enter the final year of their contract or earlier if given permission.

Deals are often announced during the season.

The AFL system is more restrictive, with listed players coming off-contract only able to officially move in the offseason through trade, free agency, drafts and the supplemental selection period.

Star recruit Zak Butters is excited to be joining a strong Western Bulldogs midfield. Credit: AAP

And it’s an unwritten rule that players wait until the end of the season to publicly announce their intentions to leave the club.

“The way I play football and the way I train, I feel like I’d be able to show up and front up and do it,” Butters said.

“But definitely, I feel like in the future, I couldn’t see why it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Butters, a three-time All Australian, was strongly courted by the Bulldogs, Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond throughout the year.

Geelong were viewed as the frontrunner for his signature, but Butters denied he or his management ever indicated to the Cats they were his first preference.

The ball magnet insisted he never completely made up his mind until returning home to his family property at Darley, west of Melbourne, after Port’s season had ended.

“I guess I probably took my time to do that,” Butters said.

“It’s a pretty long contract and it’s probably the rest of my career so I wanted to make sure I get it right.

“I probably leaned towards different clubs at different stages but, ultimately, I got to where I wanted to get to.”

The Bulldogs pulled heavily on Butters’ heartstrings in their pitch, drawing on his boyhood fandom for the club.

A handwritten letter from 11-year-old Hunter Zerafa - accompanied by a 20c coin taped inside - begging Butters to pick the Dogs revived childhood memories as he read it.

Young Hunter and Butters caught up at the club on Monday. Credit: AAP

“I thought back to when I was younger and loving Bulldogs players and looking up to them and coming down to open trainings,” Butters said.

“I used to have birthday parties at Whitten Oval when I was a kid.

“I’ve still got the letter at home, and the 20 cents is still in there. I might have to invest it.”

Butters got a firm handshake from his Bulldogs-fanatic father when he broke the news and could hear coach Luke Beveridge’s sons rejoicing in the background as they spoke over the phone.

The Bulldogs are expected to be back in the frame for a top-four finish in 2027 with the addition of Butters and return of forward Sam Darcy after a season-ending knee injury.

The 156-gamer has undergone minor ankle surgery, but is champing at the bit to partner Marcus Bontempelli and Ed Richards in the midfield.

“We’re definitely going to be in them (best midfield in the competition) calculations,” Butters said.

“Being a Bulldogs supporter, I was pretty excited to play with them guys.

“I was at his (Bontempelli’s) first game at Marvel Stadium when I was a youngster so I remember my dad saying that he thought he was going to be pretty good.”