Thomas Burtonheight: 178cm
D.O.B: 09-01-2007
Position: Midfielder/Defender
Leagues: AFL U18 Championships, Coates Talent League Boys
SNAPSHOT: “A versatile mover and a consummate professional known for his playmaking ability that causes headaches for the opposition.” – Adrian DixonThe Western Jets captain of 2025, Tom Burton is a natural leader who continually sets up plays with his run and carry, whether it be in the midfield or across half-back.
Burton started his footballing journey in the then known Western Region Football League competition with Point Cook’s Under 9s team in 2015. As he moved up the age groups, he continued to be a standout, and in 2021 he started his rise to prominence with selection in the Under 14 interleague squad.
12 months later, he would be selected for the Under 15 competition, being named in the best for both games that season. Burton also would also represent the Victorian Under 15 side in the 2022 national carnival where he was named All-Australian. As a result, he would be awarded with a scholarship to Caulfield Grammar for his final years of schooling, that would see him play in the APS football competition.
Season 2023 saw Burton continue to progress – being named in the Western Jets Under 16s squad where he managed to make an appearance in two games in April of that year. He would then be called up to represent Vic Metro at the Under 16 Championships that year with his best game coming against South Australia.
September 2023 saw him make his Coates Talent League debut for the Jets in Wildcard Round, where he performed admirably against the reigning and eventual premiers, Sandringham Dragons. Weeks later, he was then called up to the Point Cook senior side to make his debut in a Grand Final of all games. Despite the game resulting in a loss, Burton fitted in seamlessly and felt as if he belonged out there, taking on the game with confidence and flair.
Season 2024 saw Burton spend most of his bottom-aged campaign playing with Caulfield Grammar while completing his Year 12 VCE studies. However, he also impressed in his limited appearances with the Jets, especially early in the season against the Calder Cannons in both a practice match and on Good Friday.
When he returned to the Jets team outside of school football commitments, his presence was noted, especially in the absence of his teammates who were on representative duty. While only managing seven games for the Jets, Burton was always consistent and would put in a solid performance representing Vic Metro, then Team Heppell in the 2024 Futures games.
With the stresses of school out of the way and putting more of his focus into football, season 2025 would see Burton appointed the Jets’ captain. But before that, along with earning selection in the AFL Academy and the Vic Metro summer hub, he completed a preseason training block with the Western Bulldogs, the club he supported growing up.
Despite being restricted by injury, Burton would overcome a poor Round 1 game by his standards to produce leadership and consistency for the Jets all season. As a result, he averaged 29.6 disposals, 5.3 marks and 5.6 tackles per game in 2025, taking out Western’s best and fairest award. While his averages were subdued playing for Vic Metro in the Under 18 Championships, he was awarded with captaincy for the game game against eventual title winners South Australia.
Burton models his game on 2016 Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen and fellow Western Jets alumni Zak Butters, players who are both known for their abilities to take the game on with their speed and flair, especially in the two positions that Burton is best suited to.
STRENGTHS:
+ Dare
+ Leadership
+ Running power
+ Speed
+ Versatility
+ Work rate
IMPROVEMENTS:
- Decision making
- Kicking efficiency
- Size
Burton is a born leader. From a young age with his junior football, he always led from the front and set a standard for his teammates which saw him win numerous team and competition best and fairest awards. He quickly learned how important it is to be a good teammate and to lead by example, while also understanding that doing the extras makes a difference, especially tapping into the resources on offer to make him the best athlete possible.
On the field, he always uses his voice to continually support his teammates and reinforce areas that need to be improved upon in games. At the Jets, internally he was lauded for helping his teammates improve, not just in games either, but also getting them involved in watching vision and identifying how they can enhance what they do without the ball in their hands. As a result, he was also rewarded with the responsibility of captaining Vic Metro in one game at the championships.
Burton's versatility is another feature of his game that makes him an appealing prospect. Comfortable either across half-back or in the midfield, his ability to be the go-to man running out of defence highlights the trust that his teammates have in him to cause chaos for the opposition. Meanwhile, his efforts to show a strong inside and outside game have also been lauded in a ball-winning capacity.
Overall, Burton seems comfortable playing his role for the team, as highlighted in his efforts for the AFL Academy and the Vic Metro side at the National Championships. While undoubtedly he would have loved to have had more time in the midfield, due to the depth he was assigned to a role in defence, acting as a linking option on the rebound and playing that role well.
Burtons' speed, especially when it comes to closing in on opponents is also central to his game. While he provides excellent run on the overlap along with his gut running, his ability to work hard around the ground puts him in positions to rack up the footy. At the recent National Draft Combine, he managed a 2.915 20m sprint time to highlights his elite speed, which gets him out of trouble time and time again.
While Burton loves having the ball in his hands, his kicking and decision making are areas for improvement. While his split-second decisions can cause chaos for the opposition, Burton will have to improve on that when it comes to the next level especially against more experienced opponents. It will also help him become a more predictable teammate.
There are times where Burton puts his teammates under pressure with his disposal, which can result in turnovers or the play being broken up. Throughout the season, there were notable discrepancies between his kicking efficiency compared to his disposal by hand, so finding a balance between his daring creative nature and picking out options which suit the context of the game can help level that out.
AFL U18 Championships
Season Team K HB D M CP UP T HO CLR I50 R50 GL GM K H D M HO T G DC
2025 Vic Metro 31 31 62 16 16 46 9 0 4 6 9 0 4 7.8 7.8 15.5 4.0 0.0 2.3 0.0 59
Total - 31 31 62 16 16 46 9 0 4 6 9 0 4 7.8 7.8 15.5 4.0 0.0 2.3 0.0 59
Coates Talent League Boys
Season Team K HB D M CP UP T HO CLR I50 R50 GL GM K H D M HO T G DC
2024 Western Jets 89 77 166 27 0 0 39 0 0 17 18 0 7 12.7 11.0 23.7 3.9 0.0 5.6 0.0 79
2025 Western Jets 184 171 355 64 142 220 53 0 71 56 46 5 12 15.3 14.3 29.6 5.3 0.0 4.4 0.4 124
Total - 273 248 521 91 142 220 92 0 71 73 64 5 19 14.0 12.9 26.8 4.6 0.0 5.0 0.3 203
DRAFT RANGE: 35-50
SUMMARY:Burton has the weapons to play AFL and would be best suited to a running half-back option, or even as a wingman before he looks to make a transition into the midfield as his career progresses. While he is expected to fall late in the second round, which could be pushed to an early-third round pick due to the bids on club-tied prospects, expect him to come under consideration for teams that could do with some speed.
https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/thomas-burton/
