Sam Butler's footballing story has been nothing short of challenging.

The 22-year-old has remained on the outskirts of Hawthorn's starting 22 since he arrived at Waverley through the 2021 National Draft, taken at Pick 23.

Since then, the fringe midfielder has slid in and out of the senior side, taking the field nine times in 2022, eight times in 2023, and just twice in 2024 before his season was completely upended.

A graphic leg break in a Box Hill Hawks game in late-April last year, where Butler broke both his fibula and tibia and had to wait over half an hour for an ambulance, led to a sudden change in Butler's career trajectory. Set for an extended stint on the sidelines with several setbacks and challenges to come, Butler's resilience was undoubtedly tested.

Butler rebounded however. Fully healing from the nasty injury, the brother of Saints forward Dan resumed his place in the VFL side this season, playing in seven matches, although the last three were where his form began to shift.

Deployed into the Box Hill midfield, Butler accumulated 31, 42, and 29 disposals against Gold Coast, Brisbane and Collingwood's VFL units respectively.

Knocking on the selection door, a trio of changes for Thursday night's clash allowed Sam Mitchell to make room for the in-form midfielder, as Butler was granted his first centre bounce appearances in his short career.

Butler recorded 14 disposals in a commendable display during Hawthorn's 22-point win, as well as five tackles and three score involvements. Mitchell lauded Butler post-game for his ability to overcome the serious long-term injury, and build up a patch of genuine good form to earn a spot back in the AFL side, 418 days since his last appearance.

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"He's a great story. He's a great young lad, he works enormously hard," Mitchell said.

"He's probably had some doubts over this period. I think when you come back from a broken leg, for those who have ever experienced it personally or someone close to them, it's not a smooth process. It's not like a knee reconstruction where you just come back and there's a step-by-step process.

"A broken leg is a different beast, and some of the knocks and setbacks that he's had over that period are an enormous resilience builder for him. I was just so proud of him to play AFL footy at all, let alone to perform in AFL footy.

"I thought he was really good tonight. That was probably at the top range of what we thought he might be capable of. He's got a great engine, he's got a great work rate. He's a great tackler, but he's played three games as a midfielder in the last probably five years. So to get the response out of him... it was probably better than we thought, and I was absolutely rapt for him, and it's a story we should celebrate."

With Jack Scrimshaw and Nick Watson a duo likely to return in Round 14, it will be a curious watch as to whether Butler can maintain his spot in the AFL side next week. Either way, Butler's fairytale return is complete, and his ability to play his role should be looked upon fondly by the Hawks' selection panel for next Friday's clash with Adelaide.