- Port Adelaide have moved on two high-profile stars
- Ryan Burton and Jeremy Finlayson both delisted
The life of a professional footy player isn’t always glamorous – just ask Port Adelaide duo Ryan Burton and Jeremy Finlayson.
Both were sacked by the Power on Monday and face uncertain futures.
Burton, 28, told reporters he ‘isn’t sure’ where he will land in 2026, and plans ‘a bit of recovery and time away’ as the defender assesses his next move.
It’s a similar story for Finlayson, 29, who managed just eight games this season.
His wife Kellie – who was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2021 and revealed in 2022 the illness had spread to her lungs – thanked Port Adelaide and her husband for their ongoing compassion given her challenging life journey.
‘In what could have been the worst four years of our lives, this club gave our little family so much purpose,’ the footy WAG posted on Instagram.
The life of a footy player isn’t always glamorous. Just ask Port Adelaide duo Ryan Burton and Jeremy Finlayson (pictured with wife Kellie and their daughter)
Finlayson is pictured leaving the club with his club belongings in garbage bags in a graphic illustration of how cutthroat life in the AFL can be
Burton, 28, told reporters he ‘isn’t sure’ where he will land in 2026, and plans ‘a bit of recovery and time away’ as he left the club after getting the awful news (pictured)
In 2017, star defender Jake Lever was spotted at a tip dumping unwanted Adelaide club gear (pictured) following his messy exit from the Crows after playing in a grand final
Lever (pictured with wife Jess) joined the Melbourne Demons the following season – and won a premiership in 2021
‘The way you held yourself particularly in the beginning when your world was falling apart, the way you showed up, the way you played with so much purpose.
‘The way you reminded so many people that footy is so much bigger than just a game that can be won or lost.’
Finlayson played 62 games for the club, including a standout 2023 season when he finished as Port’s leading goalkicker.
The Power have also cut Lachie Charleson, Hugh Jackson, Jed McEntee and Dylan Williams as Josh Carr prepares to replace Ken Hinkley as head coach.
In 2017, star defender Jake Lever gave a great illustration of how being axed can affect footy stars when he was spotted at a tip dumping unwanted Adelaide club gear following his messy exit from the Crows.
He joined the Melbourne Demons the following season – and won a premiership in 2021.
Meanwhile, the likes of Nat Fyfe (Fremantle), Sam Docherty (Carlton) and Callan Ward (GWS) won’t play beyond 2025 after electing to retire.
St Kilda have moved on Zaine Cordy while the embattled West Coast Eagles have not offered new contracts to Callum Jamieson, Jack Petruccelle and Loch Rawlinson.
More clubs will announce roster changes over the coming weeks.
