N.Butcher .... My question for fellow fans.

[King Salvo]

I can't see Nat or his Brother Egan not being offered extensions by the Chooks myself.

[ism22]

Over the past few seasons I have read posts from other rooster fans regarding Nat Butcher and how they're unsatisfied with his ability.

I've never been one to look into it and always thought he would come good once he put in size.

My question for fellow chooks fans is do you think he will grow into the player you had hoped? If not has your expectations adjusted and are you satisfied with his current progress?

My personal opinion is he is a safe player in a team of superstars and sometimes I myself may forget that and expect too much from him. Generally happy with his defence and seems to work great within a team.

Yeah I like the way you put it... safe player in a team of stars.

It's always possible to have too many cooks in the kitchen. Butcher's definitely 1st grade, has bought into our culture and I reckon he'll be happy to stay around. I'd personally do everything to make sure he does because he's got a good head on him!!!

To me having reliable reserves who can start if needed wins you premierships just as much as having superstars on your roster.

[zac]

i believe he comes off contract in 2022 which means if we don't want to stand in the way of him getting a better offer he could leave at the end of this year.
he's a good squad member but i'm not sure he's in our best 17 at this stage.
not sure he'll become the paul gallen type player that some are hoping and don't think he's at the level of an isaac liu who you know will get the job done without fuss.
needs to prove his worth this year. hope he does.

[King Salvo]

i believe he comes off contract in 2022 which means if we don't want to stand in the way of him getting a better offer he could leave at the end of this year.
he's a good squad member but i'm not sure he's in our best 17 at this stage.
not sure he'll become the paul gallen type player that some are hoping and don't think he's at the level of an isaac liu who you know will get the job done without fuss.
needs to prove his worth this year. hope he does.

whats this "if we don't want to stand in the way ......." are you on the retention committee ?

[Steakface]

Nat Butcher is a very solid first grader. It shows how blessed we've been when we're debating whether or not he warrants a place in the side.

The fact is you can't have 17 superstars. Butcher can play in the middle or on an edge; and if desperate could even fill in at hooker. So I still maintain that he's a very valuable member of the team. He also has a nice offload in him (not on the weekend, but generally speaking).

Also he was an absolute defensive warrior in the 2019 GF. Plugged every hole that threatened to arise.

So yes, I'm a fan and think he's quite underappreciated.

Second.

Im a big fan.

Have heard a number of times he is a standout when it comes to work ethic, and a certain future captain (for us or someone else) re leadership skills.

[ism22]

Second.

Im a big fan.

Have heard a number of times he is a standout when it comes to work ethic, and a certain future captain (for us or someone else) re leadership skills.

He is kinda like Boyd... right?

Cords has never been a flashy player. He's just really stable and his work ethic is second to none. Has captained the best team in the comp, NSW and Australia so go figure.

[Ray Stehr]

Every great side has a Nat Butcher type of player, I'm a big Nat Butcher fan. He looks like a real Roosters player, he belongs in our squad.

[RoosterFanNZ]

I quite like him, but will we stay in the 17 when everyone gets back from injury?

[OMR]

I think he can develop and become the next Liu in our team, a steady contributor who does a good job without fanfare . As others have said, every team needs player like that who can come in at any time and plug holes and do the required hit ups .

[zac]

whats this "if we don't want to stand in the way ......." are you on the retention committee ?

yes i am and i'm letting you go - good luck

[Rooster_6]

Turning 24 this year and with 50+ games under his belt I really feel like this may be his make or break year although he is contracted until the end of 2022.

To be fair to him I think you can discount a lot of his seasons because he’s never been given a consistent run in a single position to find his role in the team and he has played through a lot of injuries for the team. Unfortunately for a player with a lot of quality he’s now being pigeon holed as a utility forward.

At his best he’s a nuggety forward with a low centre of gravity, good leg drive and a really strong upper body strength that allows him to pop some really good and late offloads. I liked what I saw in Round 1 from him, he seemed to have some more power in his runs and that translated to his stats. He averaged the most post contact metres per run of any forward on the park. Then unfortunately in line with how his career has gone he had to plug a hole at left edge back row so we didn’t get to see anything more in Round 2.

He gets or at least used to get a lot of comparisons to Paul Gallen and I think they’re fair and apt, maybe what a lot of people forget is that Paul Gallen didn’t make a name for himself in First Grade until he was 23, he dabbled around as a 2nd rower, five-eight, mobile forward off the bench. Their career trajectory hasn’t been too far off so far, being a much shorter player it took Gallen quite a while to put on the muscle mass he needed to become an effective first grader.

Taukeiaho is probably the other example of a short forward who didn’t find his feet in first grade until he was 23-24. So there’s still plenty of hope for Butch I just really hope he can take his game out another level this year because there’s a lot of quality there and clearly a very loyal club man as well.

[Ivan Benko]

Turning 24 this year and with 50+ games under his belt I really feel like this may be his make or break year although he is contracted until the end of 2022.

To be fair to him I think you can discount a lot of his seasons because he’s never been given a consistent run in a single position to find his role in the team and he has played through a lot of injuries for the team. Unfortunately for a player with a lot of quality he’s now being pigeon holed as a utility forward.

At his best he’s a nuggety forward with a low centre of gravity, good leg drive and a really strong upper body strength that allows him to pop some really good and late offloads. I liked what I saw in Round 1 from him, he seemed to have some more power in his runs and that translated to his stats. He averaged the most post contact metres per run of any forward on the park. Then unfortunately in line with how his career has gone he had to plug a hole at left edge back row so we didn’t get to see anything more in Round 2.

He gets or at least used to get a lot of comparisons to Paul Gallen and I think they’re fair and apt, maybe what a lot of people forget is that Paul Gallen didn’t make a name for himself in First Grade until he was 23, he dabbled around as a 2nd rower, five-eight, mobile forward off the bench. Their career trajectory hasn’t been too far off so far, being a much shorter player it took Gallen quite a while to put on the muscle mass he needed to become an effective first grader.

Taukeiaho is probably the other example of a short forward who didn’t find his feet in first grade until he was 23-24. So there’s still plenty of hope for Butch I just really hope he can take his game out another level this year because there’s a lot of quality there and clearly a very loyal club man as well.

I have been a constant critic of Butcher,but he played well against the Raiders and not too badly against the Tigers even though he was instrumental in their only try .Hope this year he will improve his unloads and his defense which has deteriorated since 2019 .

[Batemans Bay Rooster]

I rate him highly. Smart ball runner and great defender. Absolute must for the 17 imo. Very underrated player.

[bondi.boy]

Nat Butcher is a very solid first grader. It shows how blessed we've been when we're debating whether or not he warrants a place in the side.

The fact is you can't have 17 superstars. Butcher can play in the middle or on an edge; and if desperate could even fill in at hooker. So I still maintain that he's a very valuable member of the team. He also has a nice offload in him (not on the weekend, but generally speaking).

Also he was an absolute defensive warrior in the 2019 GF. Plugged every hole that threatened to arise.

So yes, I'm a fan and think he's quite underappreciated.

Agree.

[Savvyman21]

Nat is an honest and hardworking Rooster that requires very simple messaging...run, tackle, run, don't pass, tackle.