19 Facts About Brett Burton

Brett Burton was born on 4 May 1978 and is a retired Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League.

Brett Burton was picked up at Pick 16 in the 1998 AFL Draft by the Adelaide Football Club.

Brett Burton is noted for his spectacular high marking, which saw him win the AFL Mark of the Year in 2009, and freakish goal sense.

Brett Burton immediately made a difference in the team, playing all games bar one, scoring 25 goals and averaging 19 disposals.

Brett Burton picked up 22 disposals in the game against Geelong in Round 14.

Brett Burton played 14 games in 2001, kicking a goal a game and winning several Mark of the Year nominations.

Brett Burton kicked six goals in a game against the West Coast Eagles, as well as four bags of four, on his way to leading the Crows' goalscoring with 52.

Brett Burton set up numerous chances for others, averaging 11 disposals per game in a largely forward role.

Brett Burton played just 13 games in another injury-cursed year, and he struggled for consistency.

In 2007, Brett Burton started the year by injuring his knee in the first game.

On his return, Brett Burton struggled for form but then produced one of his best ever first-half performances against Collingwood in round 15, kicking four goals to give Adelaide a substantial half-time lead.

At this point disaster struck; in the midst of a Collingwood surge early in the third quarter, Brett Burton's left leg jarred in the ground as he attempted to quickly change direction and he had to be taken off the ground on a mobile stretcher; this demoralized the Crows who were soundly beaten.

Later that day the club revealed that Brett Burton had torn his ACL and required a full knee reconstruction, which would keep him out of football for 12 months.

Brett Burton's contract expired at the end of 2008 and there was plenty of speculation as to whether his career was over.

Brett Burton made a successful return for the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles in the SANFL during round 14 of the 2009 AFL season, kicking four goals, leading to speculation as to whether or not he would be selected for the Crows' next game against Fremantle.

Brett Burton was not and he again played for the Eagles, being a solid contributor despite the team suffering a crushing loss to Sturt.

Brett Burton was returned to the senior side the following week against St Kilda, and while he had little impact on that game he shone in the next, kicking four goals against Port Adelaide and cementing his spot as part of a suddenly potent forward line.

Brett Burton continued to show patches of brilliance at times, including the huge mark against Carlton in the last round of the season that saw him finally claim the Mark of the Year.

In 2010, Brett Burton became president of the AFL Players Association, replacing Joel Bowden.