Danella Butrus (Melbourne City)

Every now and again emerging talents arise in competitions that you just know will hit the big time. Danella Butrus is that talent. While the jury is out if she can truly be categorised as a 'hidden gem' given her outstanding 2025 NPLW campaign and rising status within the Victorian and wider Australian football scene, it will not be long until she is recognised on the international stage.

Few players possess the confidence Butrus exudes with the ball at her feet - even fewer in their teenage years when coming up against far superior opposition like she has in the recent NPLW season. She has the ability to glide past defenders, using both feet to keep extremely close control of the ball in tight spaces and open up space at the other side for the cross or shot.

Even when travelling at speed, her bag full of tricks and almost velcro-like ball control - helped by her time playing futsal - make her an extremely exciting player to watch for a neutral, able to unlock huge gaps and opportunities through her ability to skip past players using both pace and tricks.

Butrus weaving in and out of defenders to play a through ball for Bulleen Lions v FV Academy in NPLW Victoria

Her technical ability and dribbling are a nightmare for opposing full-backs to stop, winning countless penalties in the NPLW last season through a quick change of direction in the box or inviting a trailing leg from a defender. One of her key attributes is her acceleration from a standing position (below clip), with her low centre of gravity allowing her to shift her body weight easily, leaning into feints and flicks to create breaks.

Tactical fouls are sometimes the only way the opposition can stop her when the speedster is embarking on a mazy counter-attacking run, so expect Butrus to be fouled multiple times a game - setting up set-play opportunities in dangerous positions.

She tends to occupy a very high position when playing at LW between the opposition midfield and defence. Her pace on the counter as a support runner sees her receive several big chances in most games, exemplified by the below scenario. Just four seconds separate the two screengrabs, but Butrus has outpaced her defender by 10m and is in a clear one-on-one scoring position if her teammate can provide the right ball.

Playing alongside exceptional talent at Melbourne City in the A-League Women's in 2025-26 should provide her with even more opportunities in front of goal where she can provide the finishing touch to a low cross across the box. It will be intriguing to see if her pace is equally an issue in the ALW as it was in the NPLW.

While Butrus' pace and technical ability naturally make her a threat in wide positions, she has shown great football intelligence when occupying central positions in attack too, making her incredibly unpredictable for opposition defences.

When the opposition set out in a high block she tends to cling to the wing, receiving balls from the no.6 or longer aerial balls from the centre-back. A medium or low block from the opposition can sometimes see her drift inside in a no.10 or even centre-forward role to want to get involved in the play.

When drifting into a more central role, she can arch runs well and make up a several metre headstart on a centre back as demonstrated below when drifting inside and making a run in between defenders - with football IQ and anticipation leading to goal-scoring opportunities.

Butrus consistently advances the ball into very good central shooting positions between the 18-yard box - predominantly through her own carries. Her high level of confidence with ball at feet extends to shooting too, with the youngster more than willing to release a shot with either foot from long-range if affored the space.

This adds to her air of unpredictability, with defenders never knowing if she will cut inside to take on the shot from the edge of the box or drive past defenders on the outside with the aim of a cross as the end product.

Inside the box waiting for a cross, she can cleverly cut across her defender to the near post to create a scoring opportunity - either with her head or feet - as we saw several times in the NPLW. She is far from a one-trick pony.

Defensively, she has a great work-rate to hunt down full-backs and limit them time on the ball.

The stats she will rack up in the ALW and ACLW with City will not go unnoticed by global scouts - more often that not racking up the most fouls won and defenders beaten of players on the park.

If she can continue the same form she's exhibited in the 2025 NPLW season with Melbourne City - of course surrounded by better players and challenged by better defenders - it won't be long until Butrus is pulling on a gold jersey for the Matildas and European clubs eyeing her up.