When Carlton’s Dylan Buckley first arrived at the Blues he was touted as an exciting prospect able to bring speed and tenacity to the contest – and it was those attributes saw the 21-year-old earn a Rising Star nomination this year.

Taken at pick 62 in the 2011 National Draft under the father/son rule, Buckley immediately imposed himself at training and showed leadership qualities beyond his years.

He has had a difficult start to his career, burdened by injury throughout his first two seasons, however 2014 has been different.

Playing a defensive-running role he strung eight games together between round 2 and 11 and averaged 14 disposals as a half-back during that time.

To find out more about Buckley’s development, we caught up with Carlton’s back-line coach John Barker, who is extremely excited about the young gun's future.

“He’s a super exciting player, very quick, super competitor and he’s been a revelation in the back half,” Barker said.

“We need to look at what our future holds and Dylan Buckley’s certainly going to be a big part of that.

“We’re looking forward to him growing and seeing him grow and seeing him take on the challenges of some of the better small forwards in the coming years.”

Barker said that while the genetics from his father Jim have played a part in helping his ability as a footballer, it is his effort around the Club, which has moulded him into the evolving player that he has become.

“Well genetics obviously have helped there a little bit,” Barker said.

“But you’ll find that most of the players, especially the defensive players, who play really good football are the ones who keep working hard on the track.

“They develop that game sense by the sheer fact that they give good strong effort when they train, not only through the pre-season but also in-season.”

Barker also noted that by his sheer effort and commitment at training, leadership potential has inevitably shone through.

“There’s no doubt that he’s got leadership qualities, but like with anything, you give effort and you put time into that area, you’ll grow in that area,” Barker said.

“He’s a strong-willed character and he sets good leadership standards by his sheer actions, on and off the track, so there’s no doubt that he’s got a future in that.”

While he has come on in waves this season, Barker said there are still areas for improvement.

“He does like to find the ball … he’s naturally attracted to the ball, so he’s just got to get the mix right between attack and defence,” Barker said.

“When he defends his player really well and uses his player as a starting point he’s very good for us. That’s an area that he’s growing and he’ll just keep getting better at.”