Follow LIVE coverage as this year’s team of the year is unveiled

If Zak Butters wanted to cool speculation about where he might be playing his football next year, the AFL’s seating planner tonight has done him absolutely no favours.

Among all the tables, all the players and all the possible seating combinations at the All-Australian awards, Butters has been plonked on the Geelong table. Yes, Geelong – one of the three Victorian clubs fighting hardest for his signature. You couldn’t script it much better if Andrew Mackie had been handed the seating chart himself.

Perhaps the Cats can treat it as an unofficial final pitch. A little entrée, a glass of red and a quiet reminder that the Surf Coast is lovely this time of year. By dessert, someone might have slipped a property brochure for Barwon Heads underneath his napkin.

In fairness to the AFL — and before Richmond and the Western Bulldogs demand an investigation into competitive balance — Butters is also sitting alongside Nick Daicos. So perhaps there is nothing more sinister going on than putting some of the competition’s biggest stars together.

Still, it is delicious timing. Butters has told Port Adelaide he wants to return to Victoria, Geelong are firmly in the race, and now he’ll spend one of football’s biggest nights breaking bread with the Cats.

No word yet on whether the place card reads Zak Butters, Port Adelaide.

For now.

Richmond players seen striking each other with belts in footage taken during Mad Monday celebrations have expressed embarrassment about their behaviour but denied they were mocking the scandal engulfing the Sydney Swans.

The Tigers released a statement on Tuesday afternoon in which they said they had questioned the players about their conduct at the Garfield Hotel in Gippsland on Monday.

“Richmond is aware of a video circulating from a player end of season gathering,” the statement said.

“The club has spoken to the players who have expressed their embarrassment over their behaviour.

“The players are adamant they were in no way referencing or making light of recent matters.”

In one piece of vision of the Tigers’ celebration, young midfielder Josh Smillie appears to pull down his pants and feign shock as he is repeatedly struck on the backside by a teammate.

AFL boss Andrew Dillon has launched the 2026 awards night, giving a speech on finals-eve where he emphasised that the game was responsible for all supporters feeling “safe, welcome and respected.”

Before the 46-man squad will be cut in half to reveal this year’s All-Australian team, Dillon was at the podium at Centrepiece at Melbourne Park talking up the league’s broadcast and crowd figures in 2026.

“Other sports dream about those numbers – sometimes they even claim them,” Dillon quipped.

While there was no mention of Sydney’s hotel saga which resulted in five Swans being banned for the the rest of the season, Dillon said the code had a responsibility to “the millions of girls and boys” who follow the game.

If Zak Butters wanted to cool speculation about where he might be playing his football next year, the AFL’s seating planner tonight has done him absolutely no favours.

Among all the tables, all the players and all the possible seating combinations at the All-Australian awards, Butters has been plonked on the Geelong table. Yes, Geelong – one of the three Victorian clubs fighting hardest for his signature. You couldn’t script it much better if Andrew Mackie had been handed the seating chart himself.

Perhaps the Cats can treat it as an unofficial final pitch. A little entrée, a glass of red and a quiet reminder that the Surf Coast is lovely this time of year. By dessert, someone might have slipped a property brochure for Barwon Heads underneath his napkin.

Minor premiers Fremantle have dominated the extended All-Australian squad while Melbourne champion Max Gawn is poised to become the first nine-time selection.

But second-placed Sydney only have two players in contention after banned star trio Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey were ruled ineligible for selection in the wake of the club’s hotel scandal.

Melbourne skipper Gawn has defied changes to the ruck rules to maintain his status as the competition’s dominant ruckman.

His ninth All-Australian blazer should be confirmed when the squad is cut from 46 to 23 at the AFL’s award nights on Tuesday night.

Gawn is currently equal with Gary Ablett Snr, Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin, Robert Harvey, and Mark Ricciuto on eight blazers, but is expected to pull one clear.

AAP

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