Richmond’s VFL and Development coach Craig McRae dissects the fine first half of season 2017 by speedy, skilful small forward Dan Butler in this week’s ‘Coaches’ Corner’.

Rapid rise

“He probably had the best pre-season of anyone at the Club, to be honest. This time last year, in the VFL, he was probably struggling to impact at that level. Now he’s a Rising Star of the AFL. So he’s put a lot of hard work in.”

Reassessing 2017 objectives

“We sat down not long ago and talked about where he’s at and how far he’s come, and then re-focused for the second half of the season. A key thing to come out of that was the constant pressure he’s putting on the opposition . . . Leading the way, with that as the foundation, will make him have a good second half of the year.”

Tackle pressure plus scoreboard pressure

“The 3.1 tackles (per game average he has this season) stands out . . . He’s got three or four other small forwards that are helping him out in that area. It’s been a real feature for the forward half this year . . . A lot of his possessions are contested, and he’s impacting on the scoreboard, so it’s a good balance.”

Relentless run

“He’s a long chaser. He doesn’t just chase for five or six metres – he’s chasing for 30 metres and consistently putting pressure on . . . He just keeps turning up to contests.

Taking the game on

When he sees grass, with his speed . . . he kicked a goal early in the year – I think he had four bounces.”

Goalkicking practice pays dividends

“He should be really proud of the work he’s put in (on his goalkicking). He and Jason Castagna have probably put in more work in this part of the game than most in the Club. I know in the pre-season they were working on the snaps and the set shots, and I think we’ll revisit that in the coming weeks.”

In summary

“He’s a smart player and he’s in a good position at the moment.”