• Who's up for grabs? Check out the latest list of free agents
• Find out who's going where FIRST on Trade Radio
DELISTED Geelong youngster George Burbury believes his apprenticeship under Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel will hold him in good stead if he gets another chance in the AFL.
The 186cm forward showed promise at the Cats, but was limited to just seven games since being taken with pick 40 in the 2010 rookie draft.
A broken jaw suffered in the first NAB Challenge match this pre-season was a setback for the 22-year-old.
Burbury forced his way back into the side in round two and played five successive games before a hamstring injury ruined his season and contributed to his axing by the Cats.
"It's a disappointing result – it's every AFL player's worst nightmare – but the reality is I was informed a couple of weeks ago by someone that since debuting I've played seven of a possible 43 games due to injury," Burbury told NAB AFL Trade Radio on Friday.
"When you look at it from the club's perspective they're not maximising their opportunity by having me on the list the last couple of years.
"They haven't really got as much out of me as they thought they might, and it's the industry we're in – it's pretty cutthroat."
Burbury is recovering from surgery on his hamstring three weeks ago and is back jogging.
He wondered whether the soft-tissue injury was a flow-on effect from sitting out the important lead-in to the 2014 season.
"I never said it publicly but I think it mentally slowed me down a little bit. A lot more media attention came with it than I expected," Burbury admitted.
"Sometimes I wonder what could have been with this year, and whether that six-to-10 weeks off de-toned my body a little bit and set me up for a hamstring injury – I'm not sure."
Drafted towards the back end of Geelong's dominant era, Burbury had to earn his spot in the Cats' side.
He feels it could work to his advantage if he is picked up by another AFL club.
"I suppose coming into a club like Geelong that's been a power club since 2007 – the last seven or eight years – I feel like I've done a really good apprenticeship," he said.
"I played two years of VFL. We were lucky enough to win the flag in 2012 and that was an amazing experience.
"And then to debut last year…I think when I debuted there were 14 All Australians next to me.
"I've had this beautiful experience and such a great apprenticeship. I've had Jimmy Bartel as a mentor for the last couple of years."
Burbury also credited Geelong's VFL coach Matthew Knights for fast-tracking his development and said he would be open to moving interstate to continue his AFL career.
