Ben Lennon is a little bit like Robert Murphy. Source: News Limited
BEN Lennon needs only a ­moment to shape a game.
Whether taking a gutsy mark running back with the flight of the ball, or slicing the field open with a 50m pass, the 187cm utility's skills are dazzling.
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The Northern Knight this year averaged the third most contested marks and score involvements in the national under-18 championships and registered the third best kicking efficiency in the top-20 ball winners in the TAC Cup, according to Champion Data.
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"He just has the right technique in any situation and, if you have got right technique, you can make things look good, but he can make it look really good," former Knights coach Marco Bello said.
The problem, though, with being such a "show-stopper", as one recruiter put it, is proving you can also roll up your sleeves and whack away in and under to get the ball. Busting your gut doing the less glamorous work.
If there was a query over Lennon's ability in this area, the All-Australian dismissed it late this season, putting him on Richmond's draft radar at pick No.12 or higher at pick 7, which belongs to Brisbane Lions.
He spent time at Punt Rd this year as part of the AIS/AFL squad, where one message from straight-shooting development coach Mark Williams was "shave your beard off, you look like a d---head".
Under-18 AFL Championships at Skilled Stadium Geelong,28th June 2013, Vic Metro v South Australia, Vic's Ben Lennon in action Source: News Limited
After dominating games with his penetrating right-foot kicking on a back and forward flank, Lennon moved onto the ball late in the season to show he could win contested possessions in the midfield, and averaged 28 touches in his last five games.
It rounded out his game, proving the Vic Metro star, like Brendon Goddard, shapes as the ultimate utility.
"I think I did prove that I can play midfield, which taught me a lot and helped my confidence," Lennon said. "I hope I answered a few critics if there were any, but I've still got lot of stuff I have to work on."
His brilliant overhead marking, which proves a constant threat especially when isolated in the forward 50m, has its roots in cricket, playing for Macleod in the northern suburbs.
"The boys always put me in the slips cordon because they thought I had a pretty good eye," Lennon said.
Likewise, his kicking was painstakingly crafted alongside his sister, Grace, who spent long hours honing her golf skills on the driving range.
She is an amateur, hoping to turn pro next year.
Lennon has been invited to the draft on the Gold Coast on November 21,is looking for a similar career breakthrough.
"Having that role model helped instil in me that dedication and work ethic," he said.
"That (kicking) is my trade and I knew I had to work at it.''
BEN LENNON
Northern Knights
Age: 18
Height: 187cm
Weight: 79kg
Position: Utility
SuperCoach avg: 124 pts (TAC Cup)
Draft range: 7-12
In the mix: Brisbane (7), Collingwood (10), Richmond (12)
Plays like: Brendon Goddard
Tomorrow: The man who could haunt Melbourne
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