AS THEY hunker down in the next 24 hours waiting to discover which AFL clubs will be their future homes, 2016 draftees Jy Simpkin and Alex Witherden will look at Ryan Burton as a guide and perhaps an inspiration.

Simpkin and Witherden are highly-rated youngsters who both missed large chunks of this year because of a broken leg. Both shape as top 20 selections in Friday night's NAB AFL Draft, and as Burton showed this year, it is not too big hurdle to overcome.

Burton didn't play at all in 2015 because of a badly broken leg suffered late the season before, but was taken by Hawthorn with the 19th pick based largely on flashes of talent shown before then.

What was supposed to be a low-key introduction to the AFL scene this year ended up with four games at senior level late in the season that left Hawthorn supporters clamouring for more and all but penciling him in the best 22 going forward.

"Early on when I had the injury I was pretty nervous that I might not get picked up, and it was a long year trying to keep my mind off the draft," Burton said.

"But once we got a week out from the draft, a lot of clubs spoke to me and reassured me I'd get drafted, so going there on the night wasn’t too nerve-wracking. And to be honest, I didn’t care how early I was drafted as long as I was."

The draft took place in his home town of Adelaide and by the end of the night, Burton was rocking the Hawthorn polo shirt and preparing for what he thought would be a full first season of football.

But the Hawks had other plans, and after a couple of weeks early in the season at Box Hill where he looked really good, it all came to an abrupt halt when the club sent him in for surgery to remove the plates and screws still there from his leg surgery late in 2014.

Burton had been feeling slight discomfort, but was managing it well enough and assumed the procedure could wait.

"I wasn't thrilled about having surgery," he admitted. "But I had full faith in the medical guys and they got me back pretty well."

Hawthorn had seen enough in two VFL games to extend Burton's contract by another season even before the surgery and he repaid that faith with a fantastic recovery. So impressive was his rehabilitation that instead of warehousing him until 2017, thoughts turned to how quickly he might return to Box Hill and perhaps even play for Hawthorn.

Burton was back playing for Box Hill by the end of July and three weeks later he was making his debut for Hawthorn on a Saturday afternoon at the MCG against North Melbourne. And he followed the family tradition with a goal with his first kick – a clever snap across his body from 35m out – just as his father Craig did in his SANFL debut for West Adelaide in 1982.

Burton played as a medium forward that day, but was his form playing down back the next two weeks saw him keep his spot for the finals. However he hurt his calf in the qualifying final and watched from the stands as the Hawks were eliminated from the finals the next week.

It was a disappointing end from a team perspective, but it was a whirlwind year. "The last part really flew past. Playing seniors before the end of the year was pretty good, so looking back now, it doesn't feel like 12 months has gone past," Burton said.

Three and a half games at AFL level hasn't yet given Burton a clear idea of where on the ground he sees himself playing in the long-term, although he felt more comfortable in defence, "letting the game come to me and using my greatest strength, which is to read the play, to chase the footy and get my own touches.

"Up forward there was a lot of leading, knowing where to lead and when to get out of the road of the bigger players. "

Burton spent his off-season back in Adelaide – with a few days in Bali in the middle – catching up with family and friends. He has shed a couple of kilograms as he sets about completing his first full AFL pre-season and his first pre-season of any description for several years.

"They wanted me to be a bit lighter for my knee. Running off half-back, I feel more comfortable playing with a lighter weight," he said. "Although I'm sure I'll put in back on as I get older."