AFL Draft 2015: Horror break no barrier to Ryan Burton’s dream as Hawthorn risk a pick

A SHOCKING leg break sidelined Ryan Burton for the past 15 months but Hawthorn had seen enough to risk a first-round pick.

24/11/15 - AFL Draft 2015 - Pick 19 Ryan Burton to Hawthorn Picture Simon Cross

A SHOCKING leg break sidelined Ryan Burton for the past 15 months but Hawthorn had seen enough to risk a first-round pick.

Burton snapped his left leg just below the knee after crash landing from a mark in August 2014 and hasn’t played since.

The 191cm North Adelaide key forward last night admitted he feared the injury was so bad he would never play again.

“It was a tibial plateau fracture, just under the knee,” Burton said. “I heard a crack ... as soon as I’d done it. I was in the medical rooms, and I thought I was done.

“I had a mate who was next to me and he was trying to reassure me but I kept saying, ‘No, I’m done’. He said, ‘No, you’re fine’.

“It hurt so much and it just didn’t feel right.

“It was a shocking feeling but, once I started to get back into the gym and do a few squats and swimming and stuff, I thought, ‘I can get back from this’.”

Burton said the Hawks had stayed in regular contact and he suspected they might take a punt on him.

“I sort of had a feeling ... and as a Port supporter, I have so much respect for Hawthorn. What they have been able to do over the last few years has been unbelievable,” he said.

The Hawks swooped on Tasmanian midfielder Kieran Lovell at selection 22.

Lovell, a 172cm ball magnet, racked up 42 disposals in an under-18 championships game for Tasmania this year.

Medium-sized forward Blake Hardwick, the leading goalkicker in the TAC Cup this year, joined the premier at pick 44.

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Originally published as AFL Draft 2015: Horror break no barrier to Ryan Burton’s dream as Hawthorn risk a pick