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

[SMaturin]

Why kick at all when you can handball 40 metres?

 

[tazaa]

Dal Santo on SEN?

Thought Cunners was far and away BOG, great across all 4 quarters.

He definitely had the most influence. And yeh it was Dal.

 

[Kimbo]

loved his handball, every time he opened up an opportunity for another player.

Like a stream of bat's piss.

(I merely meant that they shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark.)

 

[Ry009]

He definitely had the most influence. And yeh it was Dal.

Couldn't believe it when I heard, then he justified his DE around 50% too?

 

[archereleven]

Its games like last night that you simply know he is an out and out jet. His hands are the best in the AFL.

Needs more TOG, less 22 odd possession games(one should help the other) and to assert his dominance more often.

Would win 5-6 Syds with the right mix around him.

 

[Flawed Genius]

33 touches (20 contested), 6 marks, 1 clanger, 10 clearances, 4 R50s, 4 tackles, 2 I50s from 71% TOG.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

33 touches (20 contested), 6 marks, 1 clanger, 10 clearances, 4 R50s, 4 tackles, 2 I50s from 71% TOG.

The great unknown here is whether he still can't get up to the league's TOG average, or this is an outcome of our mid rotations strategy. Disappointing either way, TBH, but if it's the latter then it will continue to cost us games. He might've been the difference if he stayed on near the end yesterday.

 

[rippersnipper]

Midfield should be him with guys like anderson, clarke, dumont, higgins and mountford rotating through as well. Don't need swallow or ziebs in there with cunners. Zieball at half back/half forward and swallow out. Bloke is a deadset gun, very impressive to watch last night

 

[Elite Master]

He is so much cleaner, smarter and more effective with his center bounce stoppage work than Ziebell.

 

[Saintly2]

So sloowwww.

Creative and quality - his best is fantastic.

Wish he played far better game time %.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

Why kick at all when you can handball 40 metres?

His looping 30-40 metre hand passes cut zones/press to shreds. His placement and weighting of the handball is so on point that the player doesn't need to break stride and is in a more attacking frame of mind due to being forced to play on.

A few on here verbally bash Ben for not going back off the mark and yes occasionally it backfires but generally he is thinking a few moves ahead and the stationary disposal usually means that the better movers in our team that will kick longer and provide overlap can break away and provide meters gained.

Generally, we don't have enough players that are on his level in terms of chessing it out and thinking those one, two, three moves ahead. Ben would have been disappointed that Wells and Boomer aren't on the list as these two players were actually his peers in this regard and were also the most skilled and speedy players we had.

It is however encouraging that we are playing Higgins, Dumont and Simpkin in stoppages so that he has players that have evasive skill that he can release with his handballing skills.

It is a league-wide unique attribute.

 

[giantroo]

 

[SMaturin]

choggie milk.

 

[Heaps of fun]

Hmm.

 

[Daniltchenko You Beauty]

I hope we were paid handsomely for that. Ben was probably paid with a slab of choggie milk.

 

[king rising]

he's a legend

 

[SMaturin]

 

[Twinkletoes]

View attachment 360405

If Gaso's Gifo you're quickly becoming SMeme mate.

 

[ferball]

O'ShannaSMeme St!!!!

 

[ferball]

I hope we were paid handsomely for that. Ben was probably paid with a slab of choggie milk.

Bit of an add wasn't it. Still he's from a dairy farm isn't he? Nothing wrong with recognising and celebrating your roots.

And chocolate milk is unreal.

Universal cure all.

 

[ShiNoBi]

I'm proud of him.

 

[Saintly2]

We're 0 - 4 and Cunners has drifted in and a bit, but mostly been very impressive compared to last year.

I don't think it's a coincidence we play well when Cunners plays well.

Needs better/faster players around him to make much better use of his creativity.

 

[ferball]

We're 0 - 4 and Cunners has drifted in and a bit, but mostly been very impressive compared to last year.

I don't think it's a coincidence we play well when Cunners plays well.

Needs better/faster players around him to make much better use of his creativity.

Dunno about "better" players but definitely faster ones. He's already potentially our best player this season and on top of the BF MVP iirc. Unless you mean "better than the ones he has now". In which case ... maybe, you can imagine him with some of the better movers in the league.

Frankly if we get Kelly and trade him we'd be insane. Someone like Kelly is tailor made for someone like Cunners. I'd rather Ben10 if it had to be one because he will make faster in/outside and totally outside types better, but Kelly won't make someone else a better extractor.

Every now and then people talk about "old school footballers". Cunners is one.

The longer he plays the more I think of Greg Williams. thankfully he doesn't seem as much of a ******* as Diesel.

 

[Devington]

We're 0 - 4 and Cunners has drifted in and a bit, but mostly been very impressive compared to last year.

I don't think it's a coincidence we play well when Cunners plays well.

Needs better/faster players around him to make much better use of his creativity.

When he extracts the ball and has a bit of space, blokes like ats should be on their ******* bikes because Cunnington is more than capable of a ~20m+ pinpoint handball to a moving target. One of many players who's strengths are underutilised by the club.

 

[ferball]

When he extracts the ball and has a bit of space, blokes like ats should be on their ******* bikes because Cunnington is more than capable of a ~20m+ pinpoint handball to a moving target. One of many players who's strengths are underutilised by the club.

If you were Ats wouldn't you love to be playing with Cunners and doing exactly that?