Daniel Butler (North Ballarat Rebels)
Height: 181 cm
Weight: 79 kg
Position: Utility
Player comparison: Ben Lennon
Strengths: Outside running, goal kicking, tackling
Areas needing improvement: Winning the ball on the inside

It’s a surprise that Butler stands at only 181 centimetres. He plays like he’s 190 centimetres, as he out-marks every midfield opponent he matches up on. Butler is really quick, and though he’s not likely to run the length of the field, a 20 metre burst from him out of a pack breaks games wide open.

Butler is a goal kicking outside midfielder who relies on handball receives to get touches. At this stage, he struggles to win the inside ball, but with his impressive volume of tackles, that side of his game could become well-rounded. His frame is well built already, and with his quick burst of acceleration, if he learns to play on the inside, he could become a real threat around stoppages.

Butler is the kind of player who performs much higher than his standing in the draft rankings. Butler is excellent value as a late pick, as his ceiling is quite high.

Butler’s most eye popping stat for the year was his 17 tackles against the premiers in Oakleigh. Butler is a quality over quantity contributor, but he was remarkably consistent. Usually gathering around 16 disposals, Butler’s highest possession count was 22 and his lowest was nine touches. His nine goals from 13 games, whilst not incredible, was remarkably consistent.