I think the commentators were calling him Bezerk-Thatcher, don’t know if they realised they were doing it.
Yeh Zerk was very good - good body positioning, reads the play very well and can play on different size/types. Will be a keeper for sure…
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Teri? As in Teri Hatcher?
Or Margaret?
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Not sure if this has been posted earlier, can’t find it when I looked, so here it is - worth a read:
Pizza boy Brandon Zerk-Thatcher chases slice of AFL draft success
Andrew Capel, The Advertiser
November 18, 2017 5:03pm
HE’S the Murray Bridge pizza boy who has taken the hard road to fulfil his AFL dream.
Denied the chance to travel to Adelaide to join a SANFL program as a kid because of the financial toll on his family, athletic tall Brandon Zerk-Thatcher took matters into his own hands.
At age 13 and while he was still at primary school he started working part-time at his local IGA store so he could save enough money to buy a car.
Four years later — after he was old enough to get his licence and buy a Ford xr6 Sedan — he joined Sturt and now, at age 19, he has five AFL clubs knocking on his door.
AFL draft prospect Brandon Zerk-Thatcher who has funded a possible career by working at Pizza Hut.
“If he gets picked up he would be one of the draft’s feel-good stories,’’ Double Blues under-18 coach and high performance manager Chris Trapp said.
“Brandon has worked really hard for everything he’s got, he has a tremendous desire to get the best out of himself and has been a pleasure to coach.
“He’s a low maintenance type of person who quickly becomes a coach favourite.’’
Born at Gawler and raised in Murray Bridge, Zerk-Thatcher is a late bloomer and draft smoky who is more likely to go in the rookie, rather than national, draft.
He played country football for Ramblers and Imperials before — once he bought his car — joining Sturt for pre-season training at the end of 2015.
Zerk-Thatcher, a tall 195cm but light 82kg, had an inauspicious start in the SANFL.
Starting in the ruck, he was dropped after his first game for the Double Blues’ under-18s and had to wait six weeks for a recall.
But, true to form, he didn’t give up — just like his best mate who at the time he was supporting in his battle against cancer, eventually beating the disease.
Recast as a key defender, Zerk-Thatcher was a standout in Sturt’s under-age side in the second half of last year, quickly attracting the attention of three AFL clubs.
This year he established himself in the reserves and was an over-age member of Brenton Phillips’ SA under-18 team, earning an invite to the State draft screening where his athleticism stood out with a combine-best 95cm running vertical jump.
“Having only played in the SANFL for two years I know I’ve got a lot to learn but if you know anything about me it’s that I’m prepared to do the work,’’ said Zerk-Thatcher, who now works at Pizza Hut at Murray Bridge,
“I think I’ve improved quickly since I’ve been at Sturt but I also know I’ve got a lot of upside and I’m hoping clubs see that.’’
Trapp described Zerk-Thatcher, who models his game on former Crow and now Demons defender Jake Lever, as “super-competitive’’.
He said he rarely loses one-on-one contests.
Asked what it would mean to find an AFL home, Zerk-Thatcher said: “That everything I’ve been through, all the tough times and the hard work that I’ve put in, has paid off.
“It’s always been my dream to play footy at the highest level and if it happens, well, I couldn’t imagine anything better.’’
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Thanks for digging up. Hope he continues to develop. Sounds like a ripper in all respects.
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Watch this for a laugh: https://www.facebook.com/MelbEsportsOpen/videos/241278819912844/
Video of him in a fortnite dance battle against a young kid at an esports event
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Brenton Phillips (U/18’s SA rep coach), now there’s an obscure footballing name in terms of Essendon’s history.
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“Sticks” is a ripping bloke and it’s always great to have a chat to him. He has been fantastic for our state underage program.
The crop of u16’s is pretty talented this year aswell so he should have a decent squad again next year coming through
Prominent in the SANFL, seemed a decent player with us, then shipped off to Brisbane. SA U/18’s looked good in the game I saw a few months back.
We already have AMT, Might as well go for BZT.
Jackets and co can certainly spot a talented young tall.
Just need them to find some smokey mids of similar quality and the jigsaw puzzle will be complete.
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BT will really love his name. BRAN-DON ZEEEEEEEEERK THATCHERRRRRRRRR the young man with the very unusual sort of hyphenated name and long neck showing some very clean dukes…
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Anyone have info on whether he is happy in Victoria? He is a SA boy after all?
LOL obviously footy comes a little more naturally to him. 
I’ve heard he loves it here. Our club has put in the hard yards to have a great culture and these boys are a tight bunch. They’re all mates inside and outside of footy
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I’d always assumed he was a total ■■■■, based solely on the fact that he played for FCFC. Funny how our biases work isn’t it. I gave Wayne Johnston a lift home from a medical clinic one night while he was still a contracted Carlton player and was disturbed at what a lovely bloke he was. I quickly erased the unpleasant experience from my memory and got on with my life as best I could.
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He’s the type of player Adelaide desperately needs, I think at some point they’ll come hard for him.
He looks to have all the tools.
Different “Sticks”
I was talking about Brenton “Sticks” Phillips not the Fark Carlton one
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A bloke I know played old blokes’ cricket against the dude Clarkson whacked in London (Atkins?).
Reckons he now 100% sees Clarkson’s point of view. And he’s a former VFL umpire, and lifelong FC fan.
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