Watch John Butcher's press conference on PTV above. Can't see the video? Watch on YouTube.
JOHN BUTCHER is set on having a good pre-season on the track to make up for a difficult second year as an AFL footballer.
Butcher, 21, played six of the first eight rounds of the 2012 season but was forced out with a hip complaint following Port Adelaide’s stirring Round 8 win over North Melbourne.
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The injury had hampered his performance for many of those six games and he underwent a five-week recovery program thereafter, including game time in Port Adelaide’s SANFL side.
He returned against Geelong in round 14, but the following week’s match against the Crows would be his last for the year with an appointment with the surgeon booked for him shortly after.
Butcher’s rehabilitation from what he describes as “clean up” of the cartilage and bone in both hips is progressing well and he expects to return to intense training after Christmas.
Importantly for the Power, Butcher has targeted Round 1, 2013 when Port Adelaide travels to the MCG to play Melbourne as his return game.
“I had both the hips done around round 15 or 16 last year so it’s been a pretty slow process - I’m not quite back running yet,” said Butcher.
“I think the pre-Christmas period will just be a slow process where I’ll ease back into it and then after Christmas it will be full bore.
“Obviously getting it [the hip clean] done when I did means it should be no problem for Round 1 next year.
“It should give me two or three months before the start of the season to get my body right - stronger and bigger - and get the core and hips right again.”
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The frustration of a season of underperformance by his own high standards is driving Butcher this summer.
Unable to replicate the explosive form he exhibited during his late season debut in 2011, Butcher revealed the frustrating battle with his body that unfolded in the latter stages of his second season as he found himself mired in the ‘second-year blues’ so many young footballers endure at the elite level.
“I had one of my best pre-seasons last year, played all the NAB Cup games and felt really good coming into the season,” said Butcher.
“[It was] frustrating with the hips when they were pulling up sore.
“I couldn’t quite get through all the training sessions during the week and I was getting injections to play in the latter stage of the year.”
But Butcher is philosophical about his difficult 2012 season and refuses to hide behind the injury troubles he had - simply saying “that’s footy!”
“I was out on the park and felt I still could contribute to the team so there’s no excuses or anything like that.”
Instead he will use the double hip flush to motivate him for a better third year with Port Adelaide, explaining in essence what he underwent to prepare for the upcoming pre-season.
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“Hopefully the body will be feeling a little bit better this year, I’ll have a big pre-season to build into it and have a good crack at it,” said Butcher.
“I had to have a cleanup [of my hips] to give myself a better crack at it this year.
“They go in there, remove a bit of bone, shave a bit here, prod here, sew something up there, stuff like that.
“They gave it a fair old cleanout and stuck a few bits of cartilage on where it should be.
“And hopefully the legs will stay on this year.”
The injury had hampered his performance for many of those six games and he underwent a five-week recovery program thereafter, including game time in Port Adelaide’s SANFL side.
He returned against Geelong in round 14, but the following week’s match against the Crows would be his last for the year with an appointment with the surgeon booked for him shortly after.
Butcher’s rehabilitation from what he describes as “clean up” of the cartilage and bone in both hips is progressing well and he expects to return to intense training after Christmas.
Importantly for the Power, Butcher has targeted Round 1, 2013 when Port Adelaide travels to the MCG to play Melbourne as his return game.
“I had both the hips done around round 15 or 16 last year so it’s been a pretty slow process - I’m not quite back running yet,” said Butcher.
“I think the pre-Christmas period will just be a slow process where I’ll ease back into it and then after Christmas it will be full bore.
“Obviously getting it [the hip clean] done when I did means it should be no problem for Round 1 next year.
“It should give me two or three months before the start of the season to get my body right - stronger and bigger - and get the core and hips right again.”
[ Related: Jasper's Travel Diary - Day 2 ]
The frustration of a season of underperformance by his own high standards is driving Butcher this summer.
Unable to replicate the explosive form he exhibited during his late season debut in 2011, Butcher revealed the frustrating battle with his body that unfolded in the latter stages of his second season as he found himself mired in the ‘second-year blues’ so many young footballers endure at the elite level.
“I had one of my best pre-seasons last year, played all the NAB Cup games and felt really good coming into the season,” said Butcher.
“[It was] frustrating with the hips when they were pulling up sore.
“I couldn’t quite get through all the training sessions during the week and I was getting injections to play in the latter stage of the year.”
But Butcher is philosophical about his difficult 2012 season and refuses to hide behind the injury troubles he had - simply saying “that’s footy!”
“I was out on the park and felt I still could contribute to the team so there’s no excuses or anything like that.”
Instead he will use the double hip flush to motivate him for a better third year with Port Adelaide, explaining in essence what he underwent to prepare for the upcoming pre-season.
[ Related: Trade wins ]
“Hopefully the body will be feeling a little bit better this year, I’ll have a big pre-season to build into it and have a good crack at it,” said Butcher.
“I had to have a cleanup [of my hips] to give myself a better crack at it this year.
“They go in there, remove a bit of bone, shave a bit here, prod here, sew something up there, stuff like that.
“They gave it a fair old cleanout and stuck a few bits of cartilage on where it should be.
“And hopefully the legs will stay on this year.”
