Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters is intent on improving his midfield craft in the second half of the season.
The 21-year-old has spent more time in the middle in 2022, becoming one of Ken Hinkley’s more important on-ballers.
Butters has won the equal second most clearances alongside Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines and behind veteran Travis Boak.
He is also fourth for contested possessions while maintaining an element of attack in the form of goal assists (second at the club), inside 50s (fourth) and score involvements (fifth).
The Power enjoyed a bye last weekend and with that came a mid-season review which suggested to Butters that there are some things he does need to work on.
“We do a little mid-season review thing,” he said on SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“So just checking where you’re at and where you want to improve and what you think is going well.
“It’s a good little break where you can think ‘in the next three months I want to get this out of myself’.”
So, what was the specific feedback given? What do the coaches want from Butters?
“Basically to continue on my midfield (work) and keep working on my stoppage craft, my running patterns,” he added.
“That’s a big one, trying to show up at more contests and trying to be a bit more damaging with ball in hand.
“They’re a few little things I’m working on.
“I’m still roughly new to playing a lot of midfield minutes so it’s something I’ll continue to work on and something I want to get better (in) so I can take that next step in my game.”
Whatever Butters has been doing has been working so far as he is averging career highs in disposals (22.2), clearances (4.2), tackles (3.6) and inside 50s (3.5).
He will be looking to put all of that theory into practice when the Power meet Richmond at the MCG on Thursday night.