John Butcher has to be one of the luckiest men still lurking around AFL circles after managing to survive Port Adelaide list cuts once again.
Just six months ago virtually every Power supporter in the country would have been certain Butcher was going to be given his marching orders at the end of the season.
However, as uncertainty grew over the future of Jay Schulz and a lack of depth shining through at SANFL level, Butcher was gifted a one-year contract in October. Port Adelaide have once again been touted as top four prospects in 2016 after an underwhelming season with a talented young list at their disposal, it is certainly time for Butcher to repay the faith the club have shown in him and finally perform consistently at senior level.
After just two seasons at the club, the highly touted Mason Shaw and Mitch Harvey were axed after failing to prove their worth as future AFL prospects.
With the recent recruitment of gun key forward Charlie Dixon and Paddy Ryder 12 months ago, Butcher is nowhere near Port Adelaide’s Best 22.
Although he kicked just three goals in five games in 2015, Butcher’s contested marking was simply superb in the latter rounds, plucking 12 grabs against the Gold Coast and Fremantle which included the Round 23 mark of the week. The disparity between his best and worst moments still continues to come in individual games rather than in different matches. This could be observed in the last round of the season when he nailed an absolute ripper of a goal from 50 metres out on the angle prior to two excruciating misses from 20 metres out dead in front.
Since being drafted with Port’s first pick (8th overall) in the 2009 National Draft, he has continued to disappoint at senior level, playing just 28 games over his turbulent six year term at the Power.
Despite playing some part in every season since his debut in 2011, he has managed a season high games tally of just eight appearances back in 2013.
He was nicknamed ‘The Future’ after playing just four games in his debut 2011 season, with his most influential game coming in Round 22 against the Western Bulldogs where he managed to boot six straight goals from six disposals.
The following week he booted four goals in a close loss against the Bombers, receiving plenty of appraisal for his forward pressure, clean hands and ability to somehow convert in front of goal despite possessing an unorthodox kicking action.
Unfortunately it has been the latter skill-set that has decreased the most since that early stage of his career, often being mocked for his poor kick and demons in front of goal. Kicking was always going to be an issue for Butcher, who often guides the ball too far across his body.
Despite Ken Hinkley publicly declaring Butcher will be getting a specialised goal-kicking mentor throughout the off-season, questions must be raised over why this has happened in six years at the top level. Despite a dodgy technique the mental fragility he possesses in front of goal cannot be helping his cause. There was no doubting Butcher’s intensity around the contest towards the end of the year. Going on talent and effort alone, you can definitely see why the Power want to keep him.
Injuries have played a major part in the career of Butcher to date and if we travel right back to the beginning, he was placed on the long-term injury list before his career had even taken off. This meant 22 weeks on the sidelines with a back injury, sweating it out in the gym and not being able to run at all for nearly three months.
If we were to be realistic, it is clear that Butcher managed to salvage a one year deal due to the lack of depth the Power currently posses in their SANFL ranks. Behind the likes of Charlie Dixon, Jay Schulz, Justin Westhoff and Paddy Ryder there aren’t too many options for Hinkley to turn to for if things were to go pear-shaped.
The only other noted tall is 19-year-old Dougal Howard, who is still a long way off playing senior AFL football. Despite mainly being at the Power in 2016 as a backup, Butcher nonetheless has the opportunity to assert himself into calculations throughout the pre-season.
A strong NAB Cup campaign with 2016 being his final opportunity to prove his worth at Alberton.
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