In the lead-up to the 2022 AFL national draft to be held on November 28-29, with Richmond currently holding picks 53 and 63, Tony Greenberg has compiled a list of the Tigers’ all-time top 10 draft selections over pick 50. We are counting them down from 10 to one on a daily basis over the course of the next couple of weeks. Today, coming in at No. 9, is Dan Butler.
Dan Butler was taken by the Tigers with their fourth pick, No. 67 overall, in the 2014 national draft.
The quick, slick small forward from North Ballarat under-18s didn’t make his senior debut for Richmond until Round 1, 2017 against Carlton at the MCG.
After spending the entire 2015 season sidelined because of injury, and kept in the VFL throughout 2016, he quickly made his presence felt at AFL level.
Butler had 19 disposals and kicked two goals in Richmond’s Round 1 victory over the Blues, and as the season progressed, he helped transform the Tigers’ game style with his speed, tackling pressure and goalkicking nous.
He showcased his ability to impact games at important times with an explosive burst of forward play.
It was Butler’s clever, set-shot ‘banana’ goal in the last quarter of the 2017 Grand Final against Adelaide that for many long-suffering Yellow and Black barrackers definitely signalled the end of the Club’s 37-year premiership drought.
Butler received an AFL rising star nomination during his 2017 debut season, kicked 30 goals from 23 games, and finished equal eighth in the Jack Dyer Medal.
All-up, he played 45 games and kicked 53 goals for Richmond, before joining St Kilda at the end of the 2019 season.
