Arki Butler is cheeky, a bit of a rascal and likes to yap at opponents, a style that has drawn constant comparison with Sydney's All-Australian forward Tom Papley. Like Papley, the Sandringham Dragons forward relishes being an agitator, and has the skills to back up his mouth.
The 18-year-old, who captained Brighton Grammar's First XVIII this year, said he embraced the traits of the game's small forwards. "Most small forwards are a little bit lippy and annoying, and get under everyone's skin, so I'll maybe take those traits of the AFL small forwards," he said. "Being a nightmare for the opposition is my goal."
Butler returned early from a broken collarbone that ended his AFL under-18 championships campaign to play in Brighton's nine-point win over Caulfield Grammar in the APS grand final, which he called "unbelievable" with about 7000 people in attendance. A later hamstring injury stopped him from testing at the combine.
Draft guru Kevin Sheehan sees striking similarities between Butler and his grandfather Allan Davis, a St Kilda 1966 premiership player who made 250 VFL/AFL appearances across four clubs, from the way they walk to their "mercurial ability". Sheehan believes Butler could be the modern-day answer to Geelong and GWS great Steve Johnson.
Butler is expected to be selected inside the top 10, with a chance of going in the top five. He said the attention of his draft year took some adjustment. "You come into your draft year, and there's a lot of stuff going on, a lot of people want to talk to you and talk about you, and you do see your name out there a little bit," he said. "But you can't read into it too much."