A high-flying country footballer for Wonthaggi in the Gippsland competition, Hutchinson was encouraged to have a crack at VFL by his coach and ex-Pie Jarryd Blair and he hasn’t looked back. In seven state league games, Hutchinson has booted an accurate 9.1 – including multiple goals in four of his first five matches - and shown clear AFL traits, with his powerful marking ability, speed and athleticism catching recruiters’ eyes. An avid surfer from Inverloch, the same coastal Victorian town Eagles draftee Archer Reid hails from, Hutchinson lived in Perth for a year previously during his teenage years. The mobile mid-sized forward has averaged nearly 9.4 disposals, 3.4 marks and 3.2 tackles for Collingwood in his brief VFL career to date. Hutchinson didn’t progress through the traditional junior pathways and has plenty of upside that excited West Coast’s talent watchers.
