When Daniel Burton was 17, Bacchus Marsh president Adam Sutherland came to his house and asked him to play for the Cobras.
“Suther, came down to Point Cook … and he said ‘come play, come play’. I looked at him, and said if you can convince my mum to drive me to training twice a week, done.
“It didn’t work out then.”
Sutherland’s persistence continued, and with some old friendships at the club, the now 22-year-old Burton finally made the move to the Cobras this season.
The move proved to be a fruitful one for both Burton and the Cobras, with Burton playing a vital role in the club’s first ever Ballarat Football League premiership.
He was also named as ruckman in the BFL team of the year, finished in the top five in the Henderson Medal, and topped it off with the AFL Victoria Country Medal for best on ground, as adjudged by the umpires in the grand final.
Burton was set for a battle with Sunbury Lions’ ruckman David Kovacevic in the grand final, but when Kovacevic was a late withdrawal Burton made the most of it.
“It definitely helped me out a little bit,” he said.
“He’s a big boy, and it [his withdrawal] might have saved my legs for the last quarter. Wrestling with that bloke for 120 minutes takes it out of you pretty quickly.
“You can see how much it [the win] means to people. You’ve got people in tears saying they’ve been waiting for this for 40 years. It’s my first year, which makes it pretty special.”
While proud of the on-field accolades coming his way this season, Burton says the simple fact of getting on the park was his biggest achievement.
He said it was part of the reason he made the move to the Cobras from VFL side Werribee.
“Once Werribee went full alignment with North Melbourne, it was always going to be a lot harder to get a game.
“I hadn’t really played a full season ever,” Burton said.
“So I came back [to local footy]. I could back it off a little, and listen to my body a bit more.
“Usually, I’ve spent 10 or 15 games on the sidelines with ankles, or feet or OP [osteitis pubis], or something.
“I’ve done really well just to get the full season, which is the most enjoyable part.”
