When top-five AFL Draft prospect and Brighton Grammar captain Arki Butler fractured his collarbone for Vic Metro, his selection status for the Associated Public Schools (APS) grand final was one of the first things which entered his mind.
There were 43 days between his injury and the grand final and he was given an eight to 10 week recovery window.
Butler was his team's barometer in the first half of the season and a fortnight previous to the injury, he kicked 8.7 in one of the performances of the school footy season.
“I was sitting in the rooms at Marvel Stadium and said to Mum “am I going to be able to get back for the APS granny and had my sights set on it and was pretty fixed on getting back for it so was a great feeling to be out there,” Butler told Zero Hanger.
“I needed to get range of motion and physicality back into it and they gave me the all clear to play.”
One of the major storylines which defined the build-up of the final was whether or not Butler would play. While undefeated, Brighton Grammar had looked at its most vulnerable in the last fortnight, winning by just 10 points against Xavier College and taking until midway through the last quarter to break away from Geelong College.
Butler was confident for much of the week that he would get up and was put through a rigorous fitness test on Thursday.
“It's been a different week but everyone has helped me out and they always backed me in,” Butler said.
“I always thought I was going to play and sort of just needed the peace of mind and confidence to come out and perform and I didn't play the game I would have liked but it was all about the team today and the boys were unbelievable
“Thursday gave me confidence that I knew I could take a hit and take contact so I would be able to play the four quarters and they prepared me really well.
“The last six weeks have gone pretty much to plan and it was great to be out there with the boys.”
Several teammates spoken to post-match highlighted that it was important Butler was not treated as a saviour in his return game and that attitude was obvious as a series of unheralded names played a key role in separating the two sides.
It was not a vintage Butler performance, but in a nine-point victory, his two goals, including a trademark snap from 35 to effectively seal it in the last quarter, vindicated his selection – and that does not take into account the goal scoring opportunities his teammates received as a result of the attention he received.
“I sort of just tried to get to the fall of the ball and quickly get on the boot and I was lucky enough it went through,” Butler said.
“It was pure elation that it went through and it was good to kick it in front of the Caulfield crowd and give them some stick but just super grateful to be out there.”
As he nears the end of a decorated junior career and prepares for life as an AFL footballer, Butler indicated captaining Brighton Grammar in the inaugural APS grand final would be among his proudest achievements.
“It's pretty cool. I absolutely love these boys and we're pretty stoked with being the first ever APS premiers in a grand final,” Butler said.
“It's meant a lot to captain this group – to be the one to lead them (on Saturday) is something I'll hold dear for the rest of my life.”
Coach Simon McPhee during the week praised Butler's leadership even while sidelined and pointed to his growth in that space.
Teammate Mason Tapping offered an insight into the impact Butler had on the group.
“His leadership has improved all the way through. He's always so vocal and demanding especially this week to get the best out of everyone,” Tapping said.
“He's very smart with what he says and his communication has been huge for our success.
“If Arki didn't play, their best defenders would have been freer and he kicked that nice goal not many would have been able to kick so when you think about it, just by him playing, it was so important for us.”
