The NRL looked very different when Egan Butcher made his debut. Crowds were restricted due to pandemic lockdowns, and the whole competition had to move to Queensland for the end of the 2021 season.
Starting an NRL career during these times was a unique experience for Butcher, despite this, he has been able to flourish into the strong footballer he is today, with his 40th NRL match fast approaching.
A classic, hard-hitting forward, Butcher focuses his game on putting in maximum effort on both sides of the football, whether it’s making plenty of tackles or taking tough hit-ups.
Rather than being a flashy try-scoring second rower, he plays a gritty game which has ultimately earned him a spot in the starting side.
“Football is a simple game, it’s about playing with your mates and backing each other up,” he said.
Paying tribute to the tough men who have donned the Tricolours before him, Butcher mentions Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as an inspiration, due to his consistent physical edge over his 15-year career.
Butcher: 'We're Refining Our Game'
“It’s probably the strongest thing we’ve had at this Club … strong leaders and people to look up to,” Butcher said.
“It’s amazing that he’s coming close to 300 (games) how brutal he is… it’s impressive to see how far he’s come.”
Just as impactful on his time at the Roosters has been older brother Nat, who has been a mentor to Egan since the beginning of his rugby league career.
“I had a bad couple rounds but whatever I’m going through at the time he’s already been through.
“Whenever I’m in trouble… going through some stuff he’s definitely a shoulder to lean on.”
Having not started the season quite as well as they would have liked, Trent Robinson’s men are looking to turn things around in June, as they come out of the bye round.
Butcher says that the team’s mid-season training camp on the Central Coast has got them all in the right space and felt timely amidst the circumstances.
“We did a fair bit of training and refining our game and we’re looking ahead to the next couple of weeks.
“It has been a tough couple of months and getting around each other has been massively important.”
For now, it’s onwards and upwards for Egan as he looks to keep building on what has been an impressive start to his NRL career, and his plan to do so is simple.
“Just keep building on top of weeks and trying to stay consistent in my performances.”
