Ryan Burton sets his sights on being the next Nat Fyfe, not Jack Gunston

RYAN Burton has seen it before. And he is taking great heart from how highly-rated draft prospects have overcome serious injuries at age 16 or 17 to not only make it at AFL level but star.

RYAN Burton has seen it before.

And he is taking great heart from how highly-rated draft prospects have overcome serious injuries at age 16 or 17 to not only make it at AFL level but star.

Geelong skipper Joel Selwood is the biggest test case.

He missed most of his last year of TAC Cup football in 2006 after having two knee operations and saw his draft stock plummet from a possible No. 1 pick to No. 7.

Nine years later, Selwood is the Cats’ captain, a triple premiership player and best and fairest winner and four-times All-Australian.

He has had no further knee problems.

In 2012 the Western Bulldogs took a punt on the fitness of ace utility Jake Stringer, who like Burton had suffered an horrific broken leg and missed a year of under-age football.

Pre-draft speculation had the strong-bodied Stringer slipping down the draft pecking order to as low as 20 because of the severity of his injury.

But the Dogs took a punt on him at No. 5 and have reaped the rewards with Stringer emerging as one of the most dangerous forwards in the game.

In the same draft Carlton punted on the fitness of SA teenager Troy Menzel at No. 11 despite the South Australian coming off two knee injuries, including LARS surgery.

Last year Adelaide pulled off a recruiting coup when key defender Jake Lever slipped to it at No. 14.

Lever had been rated as a likely top five pick before rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament as a 17-year-old and missing the 2014 season.

He has shown in four games for the Crows that he could be a 10-year, 200-game key backman.

“All of those players got badly injured in their 17th or 18th year,’’ Burton said.

“They dropped back a bit in the draft but look where they are now. I’m confident that if I’m given an AFL opportunity that I can also prove that my injury has only been a minor setback and nothing more.’’

At 192cm and 90kg Burton, 18, has been rated as a similar player to star Hawthorn forward Jack Gunston.

But while his strong marking and accurate kicking has been the hallmarks of his game, Burton has set his sights on becoming the next Nathan Fyfe — a player who played his junior football as a key forward before becoming a star AFL midfielder.

“I’d like to take that next step,’’ he said.

“I’ve been known more as a forward for the past three years but I played mainly as an on-baller before that.

“I look at Fyfe and (Collingwood’s) Scott Pendlebury, these types of players, and think I can be a similarly big-bodied midfielder.

“I did lifesaving as a kid so fitness has always been a big thing for me, I enjoy hunting the hard ball and being around the contest and I like tackling so hopefully I can get the chance to show what I can do on-ball at some stage.’’

Burton has added 10kg of muscle to his frame since being sidelined by injury.