Raiders rake Glen Buttriss never believed he'd make it as an NRL hooker, detailing how stress fractures in his back as a junior almost prevented him from making the positional switch.
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As Buttriss prepares for his first starting appearance in more than seven months, the 26-year-old also revealed how timing could have saved his NRL career last year, signing a two-year contract extension with the Raiders just 24 hours before suffering a season-ending injury to his chest.
Buttriss returns to Canberra's starting side against the Wests Tigers on Monday night, the first time he has worn the Raiders No. 9 jersey since his season-ending injury against the Newcastle Knights in round 22 last year.
Determined to now establish himself as Canberra's first-choice dummy-half ahead of Travis Waddell, Buttriss said he laughed at the first Raiders coach who tried to sway him to become a hooker.
Raised in Cootamundra and recruited to Canberra as a 17-year-old, Buttriss played his entire junior representative and lower-grade career at lock.
It was now-Raiders recruitment manager David Hamilton who first tried to convince Buttriss to switch to hooker, but he resisted initially because of a history of stress fractures in his back.
"I remember Hammo said, 'if you're going to make it in the NRL I think your best position's going to be hooker'," Buttriss recalled. "I laughed at him and said, 'no mate, I've got a bad back I can't play hooker with all that bending over and stuff'. We still have a giggle about that now, actually.
"I used to play a fair bit of cricket as a junior – I'd play juniors on Saturday morning, senior cricket with my dad on Saturday afternoon and then rep cricket on the Sunday. I used to have trouble with my back when I'd bowl, so I reckon that's where it [the stress fractures] started."
While the story of Waddell's comeback from playing Queensland Cup last year has been well told, Buttriss's career was at a similar crossroad in 2008 when the Raiders couldn't find a spot for him in their NRL squad and shifted him to Brisbane to play with Souths Logan.
He worked as a golf greenkeeper, until a run of Raiders injuries earned him a recall to Canberra and an NRL debut.
Buttriss has since played 67 NRL matches, but he admits his career could easily have come to an end ?last year.
Buttriss had been in contract negotiations with the Raiders and only signed an extension the day before tearing his pectoral muscle against the Newcastle Knights in round 22.
"Imagine if I'd have torn my pec and I didn't have a contract – it was a relief," Buttriss said.
"I actually signed on the Saturday and did my pec on the Sunday. It's weird how stuff like that happens."
"It was a little bit disappointing because I'd started to build up a little bit of form and I finally got a start in that game."
Buttriss began the pre-season behind Waddell because of his rehabilitation. He remembers returning to the weights room and only being able to lift five-kilogram dumbbells, but is now back to bench pressing 115kg.
Buttriss has got the call-up to inject some more speed around the rucks?, but will continue to share the role with Waddell.
Buttriss won't have to contend with suspended Tiger Robbie Farah.
"A lot of their plays come off him and Benji Marshall, so I don't think they'll be as damaging around the ruck without him there," he said.
MONDAY
Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium, 7pm.
TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2