John Butcher
Age: 18
Position: Key Forward
Butcher is often double-teamed up forward because of his dominance and in the past Butcher has booted four goals to despite being double-teamed. Butcher is touted as a possible number two draft pick mainly because the Melbourne Demons (who are expected to have pick one and two) lack a big forward target currently.
He is an agile mover and can outmanoeuvre and run most tall opponents that are matched up on him, at least at junior level. He is known for his very strong marking ability; he is rarely out-marked and rarely drops marks. He can play as the true full-forward of old; just sit in the goal square and then out mark the opposition. At 197cm he will be very hard to match up on. Weighing in at 86kg he is perhaps a little light for his size but with an AFL club’s preseason he will be very strong.
He has proven his performance in three under 18 championships and is some what of a known quantity to the recruiters because of that. He is not just a mark and then set shot player though, he can also kick snaps under pressure as was the case in the Vic Country vs. Vic Metro match. Butcher can play back, as he is seen as a natural footballer (he probably will never play there if drafted by the Dees because of their forward troubles and comparative strength in the backline).
John Butcher is said to be a bit of a character, a bit different and hard to get to know. He has the tendency to backchat but has vowed to stop. Coming from Maffra in Central Gippsland he is a typical country footballer. His father played over 300 games for Maffra and is a strong proponent for the club. He seems to be following his fathers footsteps except he is going to be drafted into the AFL.
Butcher is a big St Kilda fan and it would seem like he would like to end up there at some point in his career, hopefully for the Saints straight after the draftee’s first contract runs out.
One of the few things that are negative is that he went in for hip surgery in November.
Further Reading:
YouTube video- Butcher in action.
AFL Article- Butcher in the All Australian team.
Star Article- Power take charge
PerthNow- John Butcher to go top 2 in the Draft
Read about other 2009 AFL Draftees including Tom Scully, Anthony Morabito and Jack Trengove
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