Past #40: Ben Mabon - delisted at the end of the 2013 season

Jun 9, 2001
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If he wants more oppurtunities to play AFL he can walk. I hope we do play him soon would be nice to see if we can make Goldy/Currie work!

Agree. I was referring to actions within the club's control - ie offering him another year.

If Dan were to opt to leave in spite of this there's not much we can do about it.
 

Nevbuster

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Aug 15, 2005
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Agree. I was referring to actions within the club's control - ie offering him another year.

If Dan were to opt to leave in spite of this there's not much we can do about it.

I'd also like to see a Goldstein / Currie combination. If Daw cements his spot up forward, one ruckman can drop back into Defence when needed. Sometimes we could desperatly use an extra big bloke down back.

We've made some good calls on ruckmen, Hamish is doing so well at Geelong... not..
 
Jun 9, 2001
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Fogarty Street
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I'd also like to see a Goldstein / Currie combination. If Daw cements his spot up forward, one ruckman can drop back into Defence when needed. Sometimes we could desperatly use an extra big bloke down back.

We've made some good calls on ruckmen, Hamish is doing so well at Geelong... not..

Wouldn't judge the Hamish trade too quickly. Ruckmen can play to their potentially well into their 30s and cats may need only 1 solid season out of him at the right time to get their return.
 

themilkman888

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Sep 21, 2008
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Nathan Vardy and Kruezer are a similar size and go alright.

Kruezer was a gun junior, is super quick and has a number of other top quality physical traits.

Vardy is a very big solid and strong bloke considering his age. His contested marking is also excellent.

Mabon has a long way to go to get to either of their level.

My doubt stems from seeing him play, he really doesn't have any outstanding qualities. His ruck work is okay without being outstanding. His kickin is average. His marking is below average and his coverage around the ground wasn't all that impressive.

I'm probably being a bit too critical considering the stage of his development, but I think players like him should be on the rookie list rather than the main list.
 

GarnerSmash

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Jun 2, 2009
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Jun 9, 2001
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Fogarty Street
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Kruezer was a gun junior, is super quick and has a number of other top quality physical traits.

Vardy is a very big solid and strong bloke considering his age. His contested marking is also excellent.

Mabon has a long way to go to get to either of their level.

My doubt stems from seeing him play, he really doesn't have any outstanding qualities. His ruck work is okay without being outstanding. His kickin is average. His marking is below average and his coverage around the ground wasn't all that impressive.

I'm probably being a bit too critical considering the stage of his development, but I think players like him should be on the rookie list rather than the main list.

Fair enough. His kicking has looked pretty smooth when I've watched training but agree that he doesn't appear to have any singular outstanding quality.

But then did Dan Currie at the same point? If he can get to a similar well-rounded point he might be a good list player.
 

GarnerSmash

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Jun 2, 2009
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Fair enough. His kicking has looked pretty smooth when I've watched training but agree that he doesn't appear to have any singular outstanding quality.

But then did Dan Currie at the same point? If he can get to a similar well-rounded point he might be a good list player.
He's pretty well skilled KC, and very competitive. He also has nice movement and what seems like a decent brain too. He's just small for a ruckman both in height and build. Unless he can play as a KPP I'm not sure he will ever crack the firsts.
 
Aug 13, 2012
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#40 Ben Mabon

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Summary
It was a promising year of development for young ruckman Mabon, who played the entire year for North Ballarat. In his second game of the year, he was best on ground with 20 disposals, 35 hitouts and five clearances, and achieved a season-high of 46 hitouts in Round 12. Late in the year, he came up against teammates Dan Currie and Majak Daw playing for Werribee, and beat both in an impressive display, highlighting that he may not be as far down the pecking order as some have him. Deceptively short for 200cm and one part of the infamous Pirates trio, 'Sawny' should play on in 2014, where his rapid improvement is expected to continue.

Quote:Ben Mabon is establishing himself as a genuine ruckman after another brilliant display for North Ballarat in the VFL on Saturday.
http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2013-07-28/the-lone-ranger

Quote:It’s been a patient battle for Ben Mabon, but his tireless work to improve his game at ground level is beginning to pay dividends.
http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2013-07-10/ruck-and-maul

Quote:Coming up against a premiership ruckman is no easy task, but Ben Mabon embraced the challenge against the Cats' Trent West.
http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2013-07-07/m...-challenge

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Fun fact that I just now learned: Ben Mabon is the player development manager at Cricket Tasmania, dealing with both the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL and the Tasmanian state side.

Good on him.
 
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