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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roos_fanatic08 said:
Big call, but if Cunners finds his 2018 and 2019 form then Simpkin is going to be the biggest beneficiary. Simpkin and LDU will explode if they have Cunners feeding them the footy around the stoppages at every oppurtunity.
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Yep, agree, but don't discount Cunners going to a whole new level due to Jy's added strength and emergence. That bit of match sim footage has the two of them feeding in to one another quite a bit. Add in LDU's size plus Will Phillips, Jed, and some outside run and carry. Not to mention if Dom Tyson can play a role,,,,,sudeenly there is a lot of depth. FWIW, cunners straight into my AFL Fantasy at 502k. (Then again, my whole team is NMFC players at this stage, might have to trim that a little).
 
The Dingrel said:
Yep, agree, but don't discount Cunners going to a whole new level due to Jy's added strength and emergence. That bit of match sim footage has the two of them feeding in to one another quite a bit. Add in LDU's size plus Will Phillips, Jed, and some outside run and carry. Not to mention if Dom Tyson can play a role,,,,,sudeenly there is a lot of depth. FWIW, cunners straight into my AFL Fantasy at 502k. (Then again, my whole team is NMFC players at this stage, might have to trim that a little).
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nah, flag teams generally produce good Fantasy bargains ;)
 
The Dingrel said:
Yep, agree, but don't discount Cunners going to a whole new level due to Jy's added strength and emergence. That bit of match sim footage has the two of them feeding in to one another quite a bit. Add in LDU's size plus Will Phillips, Jed, and some outside run and carry. Not to mention if Dom Tyson can play a role,,,,,sudeenly there is a lot of depth. FWIW, cunners straight into my AFL Fantasy at 502k. (Then again, my whole team is NMFC players at this stage, might have to trim that a little).
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That's the best assessment of our midfield I've read so far. I believe our philosophy is to try and have too many options for an opposition to cover through the middle and in turn we only need one or perhaps two of our boys to get of off the hook to have a huge advantage. Having said that, I'm expecting to Noble to give Jed more time forward this year given his comments in pre Xmas interviews, let's see I guess?
 

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In Cunners absence i feel like Jy went up a gear and LDU came on in the final couple of months - again in Cuqnners absence.

How successfully they work together against an AFL outfit i think still remains to be seen. Cunnington is such a dominant contested beast. Its a huge dynamic change.

LDU and Jy will need to play more outside and cover off the spread defensively.

If Ziebs plays back. We should expect to see Cunners forward more often. Especially when hes tagged. This may lead to more LDU, Jy and Jed/Phillips/Hall/Polec/Dumont/Thomas/Zurharr combos.

Imagine the luxury of starting Cunners forward.
 
DunderHead said:
In Cunners absence i feel like Jy went up a gear and LDU came on in the final couple of months - again in Cuqnners absence.

How successfully they work together against an AFL outfit i think still remains to be seen. Cunnington is such a dominant contested beast. Its a huge dynamic change.

LDU and Jy will need to play more outside and cover off the spread defensively.

If Ziebs plays back. We should expect to see Cunners forward more often. Especially when hes tagged. This may lead to more LDU, Jy and Jed/Phillips/Hall/Polec/Dumont/Thomas/Zurharr combos.

Imagine the luxury of starting Cunners forward.
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Cunners & LDU changing in the D.Martin role.

Cunners will go back to Cobden when he retires and kick a lazy 250 goals a season from full forward.
 
Because Cunners has been successfully tagged more than once, he can definitely expect to cop some more at times this year, must learn how to deal with it, not necessarily by moving to F50, or breaking shoulder of tagger :), owning front position at ball up's/stoppages more often would probably help a bit.
 
muttley45 said:
Because Cunners has been successfully tagged more than once, he can definitely expect to cop some more at times this year, must learn how to deal with it, not necessarily by moving to F50, or breaking shoulder of tagger :), owning front position at ball up's/stoppages more often would probably help a bit.
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If Jy & LDU both start firing then either Cunners goes forward, or he takes his tagger with him and tags either Jy or LDU's opponent.
 
muttley45 said:
Because Cunners has been successfully tagged more than once, he can definitely expect to cop some more at times this year, must learn how to deal with it, not necessarily by moving to F50, or breaking shoulder of tagger :), owning front position at ball up's/stoppages more often would probably help a bit.
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I think we'll find that he 'deals' with a tag better by sheer virtue of LDU and Jy suddenly being very real inside threats on their own merits. If cunners is getting tagged so he just drags you forward, and you keep losing the ball a the contest anyway then what's the point?
 
muttley45 said:
Because Cunners has been successfully tagged more than once, he can definitely expect to cop some more at times this year, must learn how to deal with it, not necessarily by moving to F50, or breaking shoulder of tagger :), owning front position at ball up's/stoppages more often would probably help a bit.
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Seem to remember him often having front position, particularly memorable against DeBoer who was riding him like a backpack.


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The Anvil said:
Seem to remember him often having front position, particularly memorable against DeBoer who was riding him like a backpack.


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True, but by the letter of the law, Illegally.
 
The Anvil said:
Seem to remember him often having front position, particularly memorable against DeBoer who was riding him like a backpack.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
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Yep, Cunners got deadset raped by DeBoer & some of the other taggers in 2019. Nothing annoys me more than umpires allowing the game’s best players to get scragged for 120 minutes & not award a single free kick.
It is something the AFL really need to start clamping down on IMO.
I won’t be holding my breath though, so Cunners will need to find a way around it, as he certainly struggled when tagged.
Most players get on the move at stoppages to help stop taggers manhandling them. This is not Cunners style unfortunately. He plants both feet & uses his brute strength to beat his opponent.
 

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The Anvil said:
Seem to remember him often having front position, particularly memorable against DeBoer who was riding him like a backpack.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
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And like a backpack, he threw him to the ground with disdain.

Fracturing his shoulder whilst doing so.
 
Fish Sticks said:
Yep, Cunners got deadset raped by DeBoer & some of the other taggers in 2019. Nothing annoys me more than umpires allowing the game’s best players to get scragged for 120 minutes & not award a single free kick.
It is something the AFL really need to start clamping down on IMO.
I won’t be holding my breath though, so Cunners will need to find a way around it, as he certainly struggled when tagged.
Most players get on the move at stoppages to help stop taggers manhandling them. This is not Cunners style unfortunately. He plants both feet & uses his brute strength to beat his opponent.
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You have to be on the Giesch’s ‘Ball Players’ list which was crafted way back when in order to get looked after.
 
Fish Sticks said:
Yep, Cunners got deadset raped by DeBoer & some of the other taggers in 2019. Nothing annoys me more than umpires allowing the game’s best players to get scragged for 120 minutes & not award a single free kick.
It is something the AFL really need to start clamping down on IMO.
I won’t be holding my breath though, so Cunners will need to find a way around it, as he certainly struggled when tagged.
Most players get on the move at stoppages to help stop taggers manhandling them. This is not Cunners style unfortunately. He plants both feet & uses his brute strength to beat his opponent.
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Even though during a game I get as worked up as anyone thinking we get hard done by, as far as the umpiring goes - after the fact, in the cold light of day, I reckon, in this instance, Ben would be disappointed by the fact that he allowed himself to be dismantled by de Boer on the day. I would expect Cunners is waiting for the next encounter and he is very much focused on doing better rather than worrying about whatever “tactics” de Boer brings to the table.
 
Caracas said:
Even though during a game I get as worked up as anyone thinking we get hard done by, as far as the umpiring goes - after the fact, in the cold light of day, I reckon, in this instance, Ben would be disappointed by the fact that he allowed himself to be dismantled by de Boer on the day. I would expect Cunners is waiting for the next encounter and he is very much focused on doing better rather than worrying about whatever “tactics” de Boer brings to the table.
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Nah, Ben will bust his shoulder again until he learns
 
muttley45 said:
True, but by the letter of the law, Illegally.
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Nothing usually gets done about it until someone publicly squeals, and Cunners is not that type.
 
Caracas said:
Even though during a game I get as worked up as anyone thinking we get hard done by, as far as the umpiring goes - after the fact, in the cold light of day, I reckon, in this instance, Ben would be disappointed by the fact that he allowed himself to be dismantled by de Boer on the day. I would expect Cunners is waiting for the next encounter and he is very much focused on doing better rather than worrying about whatever “tactics” de Boer brings to the table.
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Agreed. Cunners should have tried a little harder to beat the tag. He almost raised the white flag on some occasions.
I just think taggers as a whole could be policed a little better. Close checking is fine, but they shouldn’t be allowed to wrap their arms around opponents at stoppages before the ball is even bounced.
 
www.afl.com.au

Back in business: Roos bullish on star mid after horror 2020

Ben Cunnington has hardly missed a beat over the pre-season in his return from a crippling back injury
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au


Back in business: Roos bullish on star mid after horror 2020
Ben Cunnington has hardly missed a beat over the pre-season in his return from a crippling back injury




NORTH Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington is on track for a return to his best this season after his debilitating back injury last year.

The 29-year-old managed only three games last year as he battled a crippling back injury that also affected his quad muscles.

The best and fairest winner left a huge hole in the Roos midfield, with the club plummeting to second-last on the ladder in a horror campaign.

But new North coach David Noble is set to have the tough ball-winner ready for round one, with Cunnington completing the pre-season without any hiccups.

"We're getting some really good loads into him at the moment so it's just about managing those knowing the history with his back. But so far, so good and he's been really good," Noble told AFL.com.au.

"He's hardly missed a session – the only ones he's missed are the sessions we've managed for him. But as an out and out person who wants to play footy he wants to be out there every session so that is a great sign in itself."

The Roos are pushing their midfielders to be more versatile this season, with Cunnington likely to spend more time in the forward line with the rotations per club cut by the AFL from 90 to 75 a game.

New North Melbourne coach David Noble speaks exclusively to AFL.com.au about finally realising his dream of being an AFL senior coach

"With 75 rotations where do your midfielders go? Do they go forward, do they go half-back? Luke McDonald has played some inside midfield tagging roles, so what does that look like?" Noble said.

"Kyron Hayden came as a midfielder who has been playing back so does he now go back into a midfield rotation?

What do we do with Ben Cunnington? Probably more forward. Jaidyn Stephenson has got great flexibility. Cam Zurhaar I'd like to get into the midfield a couple of times a quarter.

"I think what we've landed with is some really good flexibility that maybe hasn't been explored previously. But through necessity and limited rotations we're going to have to explore that."

North opens its home and away season against Port Adelaide but will play an AAMI Community Series clash with Hawthorn on March 6.
 
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Cunners fit will be the biggest difference to last year. He is the glue and key to the midfield. Also I just love the way he plays
 
Kanga Glory said:
Cunners fit will be the biggest difference to last year. He is the glue and key to the midfield. Also I just love the way he plays
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We can beat any side when he's in the team and firing.
 
Snake_Baker said:
We can beat any side when he's in the team and firing.
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When he gets the footy play is set up. You watch him closely at ball ups he also lets players know where to go (with a finger point, his eyes or voice) .
 
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