Past #10: Ben Cunnington - will retire from the AFL after * game - 238 games/95+ goals/2x Syd Barker Medalist/Shinboner - thanks for everything Cunners

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jess_1804 said:
Just read an article in the Hun about draft picks and who they've produced over the last 10 years. The last part of this paragraph got my attention:

"Success rate: Wow, some big names here. Buddy over Pendles? Pies fans will spew up, but Buddy just has that x-factor that can change a game in 10 minutes. Boak, Cunnington, the improving Hurley, the big improver Polec and young guns Stringer and ‘KK’ at the Suns make this a super group."

No 'young gun', no 'up and coming', no 'future star'...just simply Cunnington (in the same sentence as Boak). I might be reading too much into this, but it seems like he might be receiving the recognition he deserves. :straining:
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Shhh, We Must Keep This From the Serfs Lest They Gain Literacy and Threaten the Landed Gentry.
 
Read quite a few times this year that Cunners is now elite and our best player.

Doubt that is accurate just yet, but I would say it is great to see one of younger brigade really take the next step.

I still feel we rely on the older guys far too much to impact our results, and until this changes I cannot see us pressing further in the finals.

If we can get a few others to take Ben's lead and start delivering at the required high standard, then it will stand us in great stead in coming years. If.
 

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Saintly31 said:
Read quite a few times this year that Cunners is now elite and our best player.

Doubt that is accurate just yet, but I would say it is great to see one of younger brigade really take the next step.

I still feel we rely on the older guys far too much to impact our results, and until this changes I cannot see us pressing further in the finals.

If we can get a few others to take Ben's lead and start delivering at the required high standard, then it will stand us in great stead in coming years. If.
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I see no problems with the older players impacting out results.

They're normally the better players.
 
jlind78 said:
Pies supporter at work asked why I was annoyed losing Greenwood when we already have elite in Cunnington and Swallow.
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Grading players is always a subjective and arguably pointless task, but I only have a few players in the elite category for mids and neither Swallow or Cunnington are in it.

They are both 'A graders' and quality though, and I'm not sure Cunners has overtaken Swallow just yet (when 100% fit). That may change as Cunners may continue to improve and will most likely do so.
 
TennisPlayerAndy said:
I see no problems with the older players impacting out results.

They're normally the better players.
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Depends how many and how often though.

I think our 21- 25 brigade are the key to us going further in future - not the older guys who we have relied upon for long enough already.

We don't just need to see improvement in them, we need a handful of them to become genuine quality players IMO if we are to challenge for a granny in next few years. I can't see it otherwise based on just gradual improvement as other sides will go past us.
 
If I ever have a vacant look on my face or seem to be gazing away into the middle distance I'm probably deep in thought, daydreaming about Ben's 2015.
 
#10 Ben Cunnington

CUNNINGTON%20Ben.png


Games: 25
Goals: 13

Summary:
It's hard to believe how far Ben Cunnington has really come. Drafted as a first round draft pick at number five in 2009, he has endured a tough upbringing into becoming a fully-fledged AFL footballer. It's worth remembering that it was just three seasons ago that Cunnington was playing in the VFL trying to find form.

Cunnington's 2014 campaign, his fifth season in the AFL system, was his best. Like most players on the list, he experienced a slow start to the year, performing modestly in Rounds 1 and 2 against Essendon and the Western Bulldogs. However, his next six weeks would be sublime. Against Port Adelaide in Round 3, Cunnington was best on ground, tallying 30 disposals and laying seven tackles in a high-intensity win. He backed it up a week later, polling another three votes for 30 possessions and 10 tackles against the Sydney Swans away from home. Cunnington continued to be a steady performer as North's season reached the middle stages.

He was again awarded top marks from the umpires in Round 11 against West Coast after 33 touches, six tackles and a goal. However, a low point of his season was the dip in form he experienced once captain Andrew Swallow had returned to the line-up and began playing well. Over a six week period between Rounds 14 and 19, Cunnington averaged 17 disposals, picking up one Brownlow Medal vote in that time. However, he returned to his very best form just in time as North embarked on a six game winning streak.

In Canberra against Greater Western Sydney, 'Ben-10' collected 29 possessions, took five marks, laid six tackles and kicked three goals in a 75 point win. A week later, Cunnington, who was suspected to be struggling with fitness by commentators, endured a quiet afternoon against the Bulldogs for the first three quarters. He took up a spot in the forward line in the final term, slotting four goals to finish the game. This revealed a new side to Cunnington's game, and the ability to switch him up forward along with Jack Ziebell to give them a break in the midfield became a serious new threat for opposition sides.

Cunnington's only finals appearance prior to 2014 was in '12 against West Coast, where he one of the few that could hold their head high. He enhanced his reputation as a big-time player, collecting 30 touches in the Elimination Final against Essendon, as well as taking seven marks and kicking crucial goal in the final quarter. He was a valuable contributor in the Semi Final against the Cats, winning 22 disposals, before finishing his season against Sydney at ANZ Stadium, collecting 28 possessions and laying four tackles.

Cunnington's outstanding campaign was recognised at North Melbourne's night of nights, winning his first Syd Barker Medal, beating Levi Greenwood and Todd Goldstein by one vote. His 140 tackles for 2014, at an average of 5.6 per game, was a career-high and 10th in the AFL, while he was a top five player in the league for clearances. Cunnington has emerged from a solid contributor to an out-and-out star of the North Melbourne midfield, and with his ability to go forward, take a mark and kick a goal, he looms as more than a handful for opposition teams in 2015 and beyond.

Ben Cunnington has capped off an outstanding season, winning his first Syd Barker Medal in a thrilling vote count at Peninsula Central Pier.
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http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2014-10-03/cunnington-wins-syd-barker-medal

In the absence of Andrew Swallow early in 2014, more responsibility was placed on Ben Cunnington and he repaid the faith handsomely.
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http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2014-10-16/2014-review-ben-cunnington

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Cunners's averages over his four finals appearances are very impressive:
Disposals: 25.50
Contested possessions: 15.25
Clearances: 6.75

Still only 23 years old.
 
It pains me that Damo is a North supporter. It's bad enough, but at least understandable, that non-North supporting journalists are ignorantly critical of us. Damo gets almost everything wrong when commenting on us.
 

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LuvtheKangas said:
It pains me that Damo is a North supporter. It's bad enough, but at least understandable, that non-North supporting journalists are ignorantly critical of us. Damo gets almost everything wrong when commenting on us.
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Don't worry. I'll be a North supporting journalist and get everything right for you guys.

Gibson's a spud and we lost Greenwood cause we're paying Higgins and Waite too much right? :)
 
I used to think Damo was deliberately anti North so he couldn't be accused of bias. But I'm not sure these days, gets so much wrong. However, with respect to being anti-essendon he gets that spot on :p
 
I find the loose definition of elite in a football context interesting

Elite
1.
a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.

Now look at football.

An AFL list is made up of 47 spots (this excludes the provisions for GWS and GC) so that gives us a total of 846 players within the league.

of those 846 players for the sake of the argument lets say that roughly a third of those players are midfielders. (the other categories being Forwards and Backs)

This gives us 282 players that are Ben's contemporaries. Now depending upon where you draw the line it informs whether Ben is elite.

What categories can this cross section be broken down into?

Developing
Poor
Average
Good
Very Good
Elite

This gives us a % of 16.66% or 46 players as elite.

The question becomes If Ben is not elite who are the 46 players in his position that are in front of him.

** Edit - Using the Brownlow as an indicative ranking system it has Ben as 24th midfielder in the league in the past year.
 
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