Arki Butler has enjoyed a few days out for Brighton Grammar, none better than his performance for the ages against Melbourne Grammar in June: 33 disposals, eight clearances, eight goals and seven behinds.
"Yeah, I couldn't kick straight," Butler tells ESPN, flashing a grin.
"I started in the middle, didn't really start that well, to be honest. I kicked one goal in the first quarter, but would have only had four or five touches.
"You sort of know you're playing well when you're sitting in the goal square and then you look up and everyone's manned up and there's three Melbourne Grammar defenders standing in front of you."
Butler is a rare breed of junior footballer. At 182cm with ample midfield exposure through his journey, he is undeniably at his best in the forward 50. Where highly touted draftees typically command a stack of the ball to stand out, Butler is most comfortable forward of centre in a one-on-one matchup he can manipulate.
"Obviously it'd be unreal to be Nick Daicos having 35 touches every game, but I sort of like the guys who just have 20 of the absolute best touches and kick two or three goals. It's all damage."
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And all damage he is. WIth a strong-bodied frame and abundance of confidence, Butler is averaging over 17 touches and nearly two goals per outing for the Sandringham Dragons as they pursue a fourth premiership in five years.
His aerial ability belies his size, thriving in one-on-ones where he can overpower his opponent and launch through the air with strong hands. In the mould of Toby Greene, his flexibility in the air and at ground level makes the forward a matchup nightmare and one of the most electric junior footballers to watch in 2026.
"I've always naturally been pretty good one-on-one," Butler concedes.
"I back myself against anyone in the country one-on-one. So, yeah, if I can go forward and do that and be damaging, then it's good for the team and it's good for me.
"I know that if I was to get drafted at the end of the year, then I'm not going to walk into an AFL club and play mid. I'm happy to bide my time at half forward and hopefully eventually crack in there."
Arki Butler showing his class and goal sense early for Metro! pic.twitter.com/dWj3QkZqON
— Footy Stuff (@FootyStuffYT) June 20, 2026
Butler times his crumbing to hit the pack at full tilt and boasts the dexterity and composure in spinning, baulking and brushing aside pressure to finish off on either foot. In a modern transition game that is steadily relying more and more on the power and class of highly skilled half forwards, the Dragons No. 4 is highly coveted.
His skillset and mentality sits comfortably alongside the likes of Greene, Zac Bailey, and - the player he emulates his game on - Isaac Heeney as gamebreaking forward-half talents.
An untimely broken collarbone ended Butler's Vic Metro campaign after 10 quarters of impressive footy that elevated his standing, but he's tracking well to return for Brighton Grammar's Grand Final in a couple of weeks.
A fitness test on the morning of the game is set to decide if Butler plays. It would be the first look at a Grand Final victory in junior football for the grandson of 1966 St Kilda premiership player Allan Davis, the youngest member of that fabled side.
"His first year was 1966, so he played in the premiership as a 17-year-old."
Davis went on to kick 308 goals in 173 games for the Saints before stints with the Demons, Bombers and Magpies rounded out his 15-year career.
Some recruiters place Butler at the very top of the open pool and would be comfortable selecting him with the first overall selection in the 2026 AFL Draft.
That pick is currently held by the Bombers, Butler's childhood club. Jobe Watson is partly the reason Butler dons the No. 4, and he recently caught the attention of the footy fraternity with an Instagram story of James Hird accompanied by the hashtag #BringHimHome.
Arki wasn't even born when James Hird played his final game at Subiaco Oval. He can still tell you that Scott Lucas nearly dragged his Bombers over the line with seven goals in the final quarter, and Hird himself collected 34 disposals.
"I think it was just like a bit of a throwaway comment, but I'd love it if he was the coach because he's a legend of the club and my dad and my brother are obsessed," Butler admitted to ESPN.
It's a comment that resonated well with Essendon supporters, who saw childhood Dons Dyson Sharp and Sullivan Robey drafted to the club last year.
But Butler has his eyes solely set on realising the longheld dream of being drafted, wherever that may be.
"Having been talked about at the pointy end, it's obviously crossed my mind [to be drafted to Essendon] and would be a dream, but I'm more than happy to go anywhere. At the end of the day, I just want to play AFL footy.
"I've got no problem with travelling or any of that. At the end of the day my goal is to be an AFL player come November so wherever that is then I'll give 100% to that club and repay the faith that they put in me.
"I'm happy to go anywhere and I'll absolutely adore the club that I'm at."