Ben Cunnington

[Kram]

I usually never start these type of threads but is it just me or is this bloke underrated in footy circles? Skilled, gets a plenty of the footy, tough as nails and has a quality don't argue. Yet never seems to get all that much attention or praise in the media or BF.

 

[Nostradumbass]

He knows his way around a set of teat

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Probably would get more attention if he was at a Melbourne powerhouse.
Gun inside mid. Not much flair and goes largely unnoticed but quality nonetheless.

 

[Jobe Watson]

This always pops up after he plays one of his 5 or 6 great games for the year. Never hear about him being underrated when he's having one of his standard low 20s in disposals, limited impact games.

 

[Kcrack]

Not then flashiest but has that strength to get a handball out to a teammate while having 4 guys hanging off him, plays his role well and has hit the scoreboard more this year.

 

[the big lebowski]

Not much flair

He has his own take on flair

Some of the gif type stuff is pretty funny to watch

He has a collection of handballs across his career that make you gasp

 

[Silent Alarm]

This always pops up after he plays one of his 5 or 6 great games for the year. Never hear about him being underrated when he's having one of his standard low 20s in disposals, limited impact games.

His worst games are 20 disposals? Ughhh not bad...

He is incredibly consistent which is why he's a good player and a great club man. Should be captain. You play him and know you're getting someone who'll run all day and get at the bottom of every pack he can. And do it all day. Very very tidy kick on him too that cuts through packs and unlike a lot of talked up players, quite often seems to actually want to win games when the rest of his side doesn't.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

No. He gets the recognition he deserves.

 

[Aussie_boy]

Knows how to handball.

 

[Damon_3388]

Cunnington is very good at what he does, but is also pretty limited when compared to the best midfielders.

Interesting to note that he doesn't rank inside the top 50 for score involvements. You can say "that's not his role!", but to be judged among the best midfielders, you need to win the ball and have attacking hurt factor too. Being good-to-great at one part of the equation really just makes you a super role player.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Very good inside mid, possibly the best pure inside mid in the league. Is very frustrating watching players tackle him but him still being able to get the handball out every single time. Extremely strong core strength

 

[Jobe Watson]

His worst games are 20 disposals? Ughhh not bad...

He is incredibly consistent which is why he's a good player and a great club man. Should be captain. You play him and know you're getting someone who'll run all day and get at the bottom of every pack he can. And do it all day. Very very tidy kick on him too that cuts through packs and unlike a lot of talked up players, quite often seems to actually want to win games when the rest of his side doesn't.

Yeah, he's a good, solid player who plays a few fantastic games a year. He isn't some gun midfielder that has been hiding in the background all this time. Very good at what he does, but very limited as an overall player.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

I think he's one of the reasons North are underrated consistently as a team. He doesn't seem quick, but he's one of those rare players that seems to have more time than others. He's not pretty like a Kelly but he is class.

 

[Damon_3388]

has hit the scoreboard more this year.

Not really.

2018 - 0.50 goals per game, 0.61 goal assists per game, 5.11 score involvements per game, 2.78 inside 50s per game, 9.78 metres gained per disposal
2017 - 0.50 goals per game, 0.40 goal assists per game, 5.45 score involvements per game, 2.75 inside 50s per game, 9.76 metres gained per disposal
2016 - 0.18 goals per game, 0.45 goal assists per game, 4.59 score involvements per game, 1.82 inside 50s per game, 9.23 metres gained per disposal
2015 - 0.50 goals per game, 0.38 goal assists per game, 5.13 score involvements per game, 2.42 inside 50s per game, 11.03 metres gained per disposal

 

[kaiserchief13]

Not really.

2018 - 0.50 goals per game, 0.61 goal assists per game, 5.11 score involvements per game, 2.78 inside 50s per game, 9.78 metres gained per disposal
2017 - 0.50 goals per game, 0.40 goal assists per game, 5.45 score involvements per game, 2.75 inside 50s per game, 9.76 metres gained per disposal
2016 - 0.18 goals per game, 0.45 goal assists per game, 4.59 score involvements per game, 1.82 inside 50s per game, 9.23 metres gained per disposal
2015 - 0.50 goals per game, 0.38 goal assists per game, 5.13 score involvements per game, 2.42 inside 50s per game, 11.03 metres gained per disposal

Very consistent

 

[Upgrayedd]

Has he got any connections to dairy farms?

Great no nonsense midfielder

 

[Silent Alarm]

If he didn't have a patchy head of hair and wore flashy boots like everyone else, and of course not play for North, he'd be talked up.

 

[Augustine]

He’s very slow, his tank is below average for a mid and his field kicking is average. This means he gets very little outside, uncontested possessions or run and carry. He’s also inconsistent, as others have pointed out.

However he’s elite in many other categories:
- One of, if not the best extractor in the games (pure hard ball gets) along with Kennedy, Fyfe, and recently Cripps and Oliver.
- Very creative handballer, in the same tier in recent times as Watson and Pendlebury
- good footy brain, smart roving at stoppages, “floats” through congestion Pendlebury-like
- Second best don’t argue in the game
- Very strong core, can stands up in most tackles and get a handball away
- a Good contested mark, and a good tackler.
- A highly accurate set shot

So all in all he’s a funny player, pretty unique. I think North people have banged on enough about him on BF for him to be rated exactly where he should be. However in the wider footy world he does remain under the radar in spite of the Dairy Farmers ad growing his profile a bit.

 

[Pack Specialist]

It's because he looks like he falls trees for a living.

 

[Taylor]

He doesn't have a gimmick.

No weird hair, not full of tatts, no media presence, no negative media.

No frills, no fuss. Job done to excellence.

#5 draft pick for the ages.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Noticed a few tricks this year that I didn't know he had. Very good overhead for his type. Plays like a captain.

 

[Paganism mark II]

Was always a victim of our vanilla midfield, played in there with foot soldiers with no pace like Swallow, Ziebell etc.
Reason he’s excelled comes on the back of Higgins best year, Anderson adding pace. Instead of extracting the ball from stoppages and having 3 teammates standing right next to him, he can now use it to good effect due to the spread we create.
Has the number 1 asset in footy, wins the ball. You’ll never see him explode through the middle of the MCG taking 3 bounces and hitting Ben Brown lace out....but you’ll see him pound other midfields in stoppage clearances, being the only player to keep his feet in the pack etc.
Would have an absolute picnic at the Giants flicking it out to Kelly, Coniglio, Shiell etc.

 

[Billy Not Really]

- Second best don’t argue in the game

Wrong. The best.

 

[hilly]

Yeah, he's a good, solid player who plays a few fantastic games a year. He isn't some gun midfielder that has been hiding in the background all this time. Very good at what he does, but very limited as an overall player.

We get it, he isn't a champion like every single Essendon player.

 

[Jobe Watson]

We get it, he isn't a champion like every single Essendon player.

I know. I saw it first hand the other week when Essendon beat North and Cunnington did **** all.