Dual All-Australian defender Dan Houston has committed to staying at Port Adelaide amid speculation he could seek a trade to a Victorian club.
Houston is contracted at the Power until the end of 2028, but has been rumoured to want to continue his career at a Melbourne-based club.
The Demons were strongly linked before they were engulfed in turmoil with multiple players wanting to leave the club.
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Several other clubs were pitching to sign the 27-year-old, who attended the AFL Awards in Melbourne on Thursday night where he was named an All-Australian for the second time.
Houston won’t play again this season after copping a five-match suspension for knocking out Crow Izak Rankine, but has committed his future to the club.
When asked where his future is, Houston was emphatic.
“I am contracted and I absolutely love the footy club, I love being in Adelaide,” Houston told Adelaide radio station 5AA on Friday.
“My focus in particular in the next five weeks is helping this team push for finals and get them in the best possible condition and do whatever I need to around the club to help them.”
Co-host Will Goodings then followed up with a point-blank question, “So you’re not leaving next year?”
Houston responded: “I am not leaving next year.”
“Gee you’re putting it on me, Will, aren’t you?” He added as they all laughed.
Goodings replied: “We’ve done a few of these before and it gets to this time of year and we start getting blunt about it.”
Houston continued: “I am contracted, I wouldn’t have signed the contract if I wasn’t keen on Adelaide and keen on Port Adelaide and I love the place, I love the footy club and the footy club have been good to me.”
Houston added that the support from the club following his season-ending ban “reaffirmed” his commitment.
Port stood by Houston throughout the process, even appealing the tribunal’s decision in a last-ditch bid to make him available during the finals.
“They have always got my back and they have always been really supportive of me,” he said.
“They did everything that they could to try and help me during that period whether it was appealing or whether it was just even at the club getting around me, the boys have been magnificent and I can’t complain at all.”
Port will also be without fellow running defender Kane Farrell for the blockbuster qualifying final against Geelong on Thursday night.
Farrell injured his hamstring and has been ruled out for the entire finals campaign.
– With AAP