AFL Player # 8: Ben "Goblin" Hobbs

[VelvetSledge]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 12, Schnitzengruben

 

[Run and carry]

Have some faith in the kid guys. He's only in his third year and learning a position which doesn't come naturally to him. Usually we love it when he absorbs contact, fends off and dishes to a player. Or how he wins free kicks. Or his mongrel. We were saying this just a week ago.

Today, the game was maybe a bit too hot for him. Maybe he absorbed a bit too much contact, or fended off one too many. Fair enough, considering it's our biggest ever attendance for a H/A game, and we were playing against the reigning premiers. But haven't we been crying out for mids that want to tackle, and stand up when being tackled since Watson? He's not gonna nail it every time, and he'll learn from this. He's 21, and will be a gun in the future.

And he played well last week.

 

[Petrify]

Great last week, poor this week. Only 20, ups and downs to be expected

The good news is his biggest flaw is easily fixed, just coach him into taking the first option.

Not the first player to be a ball hog who needs it beaten out of them.

 

[ant555]

At this stage I would have no issues with him going back to the VFL and playing inside midfielder. The issue is the role he is playing at half forward suites his aggression at the footy but he does not have the outside creativity . He is an inside grunt player. His weakness is he does not have the outside creative ability which is why he gets caught like a deer in the headlights tying to create options. It is not his go. It is like trying to use a Toyota Hilux to race against a BMW M3.

 

[BrunoV]

Have some faith in the kid guys. He's only in his third year and learning a position which doesn't come naturally to him. Usually we love it when he absorbs contact, fends off and dishes to a player. Or how he wins free kicks. Or his mongrel. We were saying this just a week ago.

Today, the game was maybe a bit too hot for him. Maybe he absorbed a bit too much contact, or fended off one too many. Fair enough, considering it's our biggest ever attendance for a H/A game, and we were playing against the reigning premiers. But haven't we been crying out for mids that want to tackle, and stand up when being tackled since Watson? He's not gonna nail it every time, and he'll learn from this. He's 21, and will be a gun in the future.

Its not a question of faith or patience for me.

I like that his instinct is physical but I've seen no clear sign that he has the strength / power / speed to be effective.

I can't say I've been impressed with anything I've seen (endeavour aside). For example, he's never looked a level above as a VFL player.

He should be back in the VFL as soon as Perkins / Setterfield is fit. Perkins is a good way to illustrate what I am talking about. Even when he was in first year he has always had a big turn of speed and the hip shrug that you can see he will build on as he physically matures.

Hobbs is trying to bully guys who have 10kgs on him and who are more naturally powerful. He plays like he's that kid who is fully grown at 11. Problem is that he's now playing against other fully grown men.

It's all part of the lesson I learned watching Kavanagh. Try to honestly put the reputation at the draft aside. What are you left with then? If he was a rookie pick would you have faith?

It would be good to compare what he looks like as a third year player to Taylor Adams and Lachie Neale at the same age but I have virtually no recollection of them as players. The physically similar player I can remember is Luke Parker and he adapted almost immediately. We can't just assume Hobbs will adapt - he has a very mature body. If Hobbs doesn't have a significant adaptation in him he's not an AFL standard player.

 

[VexOh]

Get caught holding the ball one more time lad, I dare ya

Get caught playing for a freekick one more time lad, I dare ya

 

[Tazdog]

Its not a question of faith or patience for me.

I like that his instinct is physical but I've seen no clear sign that he has the strength / power / speed to be effective.

I can't say I've been impressed with anything I've seen (endeavour aside). For example, he's never looked a level above as a VFL player.

He should be back in the VFL as soon as Perkins / Setterfield is fit. Perkins is a good way to illustrate what I am talking about. Even when he was in first year he has always had a big turn of speed and the hip shrug that you can see he will build on as he physically matures.

Hobbs is trying to bully guys who have 10kgs on him and who are more naturally powerful. He plays like he's that kid who is fully grown at 11. Problem is that he's now playing against other fully grown men.

It's all part of the lesson I learned watching Kavanagh. Try to honestly put the reputation at the draft aside. What are you left with then? If he was a rookie pick would you have faith?

It would be good to compare what he looks like as a third year player to Taylor Adams and Lachie Neale at the same age but I have virtually no recollection of them as players. The physically similar player I can remember is Luke Parker and he adapted almost immediately. We can't just assume Hobbs will adapt - he has a very mature body. If Hobbs doesn't have a significant adaptation in him he's not an AFL standard player.

Yes but how about we knock every negative part of Setterfield or Perkins game when they were in their 3rd year? He's a kid, he's not the finished product. Don't look at all the negatives, Bruno. There are a lot more positives with his game. How many mids have we had that crack in the day he does in the last 10 years, or tackles (and sticks them), takes the game on, runs two ways, and can take a mark, and shows leadership qualities. Yes, he didn't have his best game, but let's reiterate. He is 20 years of age. If these question marks are there when he is 23-24, maybe yes, we can start to question wether he will make it but for now he is far too good for the VFL and has shown that since age 18. Hell be okay, he's just learning. Relax and let our kids be kids

 

[BrunoV]

Yes but how about we knock every negative part of Setterfield or Perkins game when they were in their 3rd year? He's a kid, he's not the finished product. Don't look at all the negatives, Bruno. There are a lot more positives with his game. How many mids have we had that crack in the day he does in the last 10 years, or tackles (and sticks them), takes the game on, runs two ways, and can take a mark, and shows leadership qualities. Yes, he didn't have his best game, but let's reiterate. He is 20 years of age. If these question marks are there when he is 23-24, maybe yes, we can start to question wether he will make it but for now he is far too good for the VFL and has shown that since age 18. Hell be okay, he's just learning. Relax and let our kids be kids

I said I like his physicality. It was the second line of my post. But in all seriousness, what else is there? (Fake) 2-way running and marking. How does marking make him a more viable selection as a midfielder? His disposal is appalling and that's because he has no where near the time he needs to get rid of the ball properly (when he's not just hacking it).

He either needs to change his game completely or create that time with physical development. I'm explaining why I believe there are signs that this is not about letting kids be kids. Your response is let kids be kids.

And by the way, I reckon Perkins the third year player did have the s**t nitpicked out of him. There was a lot of commentary here about his headless chook routine at stoppages. Thankfully he appears to have significantly developed that side of his game. But the key difference was that the fall back was the 1 goal a game, 20 possession, 3 to 5 tackle, hard-working but dynamic half forward routine that was almost his default. The doubt was whether he could become the midfielder he was recruited to be, and whether he would justify the investment, not whether he would be a player. That's a crucial difference.

The last time I remember a midfielder playing for his 'leadership' was Vandenberg. Mitchell, Lewis, Hodge, Heppell (as a 27 year old, haha) and even Ziebell all went to half back to be leaders. Leadership does not save 3rd year players.

 

[ant555]

Its not a question of faith or patience for me.

I like that his instinct is physical but I've seen no clear sign that he has the strength / power / speed to be effective.

I can't say I've been impressed with anything I've seen (endeavour aside). For example, he's never looked a level above as a VFL player.

He should be back in the VFL as soon as Perkins / Setterfield is fit. Perkins is a good way to illustrate what I am talking about. Even when he was in first year he has always had a big turn of speed and the hip shrug that you can see he will build on as he physically matures.

Hobbs is trying to bully guys who have 10kgs on him and who are more naturally powerful. He plays like he's that kid who is fully grown at 11. Problem is that he's now playing against other fully grown men.

It's all part of the lesson I learned watching Kavanagh. Try to honestly put the reputation at the draft aside. What are you left with then? If he was a rookie pick would you have faith?

It would be good to compare what he looks like as a third year player to Taylor Adams and Lachie Neale at the same age but I have virtually no recollection of them as players. The physically similar player I can remember is Luke Parker and he adapted almost immediately. We can't just assume Hobbs will adapt - he has a very mature body. If Hobbs doesn't have a significant adaptation in him he's not an AFL standard player.

He has played only 5 VFL games so it is hard to say either way that he has or has not looked a level above VFL . For the record his stats are.
2022.
R1 21 disposals. 1 mark . 7 tackles . 9 clearances.
R2 24 disposals. 10 marks . 4 tackles . 7 clearances . 1goal. 1 behind.
2023
R1 36 disposals . 10 marks . 6 tackles . 11 clearances. 2goals.
R3 27 disposals . 4 marks . 7 tackles . 9 clearances. 1 goal . 1 behind.
R4 31 disposals . 6 marks . 2 tackles . 9 clearances.
They are pretty solid.
The rest of the time he has been playing 90% half forward at AFL level and not inside midfielder.
The lesson with Kav was he was a 187cm guy drafted at 80kg. Hobbs was 183cm and same weight.
Hobbs has been pretty much played out of position for most of the games he has played with us so I am not sure what lesson there is to be learnt other than maybe he should spend more time playing inside midfielder.
The two knocks on him where his outside game and inconsistent kicking.
My view is it is hard to read exactly where he is at when we play him in a role that requires both of his weak areas to be a strength and they are doing that at AFL level and not VFL level. Personally I have no issue if he got to go back to the VFL to play inside midfielder.
Right now he is lost in the mix a bit.

 

[dank420_]

Hobbs has been pretty much played out of position for most of the games he has played

This is what makes it hard to judge. I think if he cleaned up the VFL paced awareness most wouldn't have the biggest issue with his year so far.

 

[Ambrosia]

I'm not concerned at all. I think his kicking has shown improvement year to year, almost every game he does two or three perfectly weighted handballs that free up a runner and he's clearly got the temperament of an AFL footballer. Obviously doesn't have the traits to flourish as a HFF but a lot would have to go wrong from here to not end up a very solid AFL player.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Rewatched the game in the comfort of my own home and yeah he had some poor moments with ball in hand BUT when the heat was on in our defensive 50 in the 2nd quarter, at the point we usually get steamrolled, at the point port got steamrolled last week, it was this guy, kelly, duursma and mcgrath who rolled up their sleeves and fought tooth and nail for every loose ball in the defensive half.
It wasnt pretty but it stopped the pies momentum.
I looked at the stats after to make sure i wasnt imagining it. He got 6 of his 14 touches in that quarter, 60% in the defensive half despite being a forward. I would say he also created a few stoppages that didnt count as possessions too.
Kelly and him are copping a lot of flack for their ball use, and I do agree he probably could do with a spell in the twos to work on his decision making. But its this sort of contested work and defensive running that has been severely lacking in our team for a fair while.

 

[Milanista28]

He's clearly an inside mid, half forward will always provide very inconsistent results, Perkins, Setterfield, Shiel and Tsatas weren't in the team yesterday and he still couldn't crack the midfield.

It's not his fault, I think he's a good player in his natural role.

Is the long term goal that he makes it as a half forward?Because who's spot does he take inside?

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

At this stage I would have no issues with him going back to the VFL and playing inside midfielder. The issue is the role he is playing at half forward suites his aggression at the footy but he does not have the outside creativity . He is an inside grunt player. His weakness is he does not have the outside creative ability which is why he gets caught like a deer in the headlights tying to create options. It is not his go. It is like trying to use a Toyota Hilux to race against a BMW M3.

Yup, play him and Tsatas together in the VFL to gain experience, learn the game plan together. And when one of the harder mids goes down then they will be ready to replace. Both will be firing chock full of confidence and might grab and hold onto a spot. Find a proper small forward from somewhere...throw the war chest at someone that fits the bill.

 

[Godzke]

Not having a crack at him but if Merrett has one of the quickest 'hand-to-foot' kicking motions in the league, this guy would have to have one of the slowest. Winds up his kick for 20 seconds.

Yeah that's a good observation
He's like the Lonzo Ball of the AFL

 

[Godzke]

At this stage I would have no issues with him going back to the VFL and playing inside midfielder. The issue is the role he is playing at half forward suites his aggression at the footy but he does not have the outside creativity . He is an inside grunt player. His weakness is he does not have the outside creative ability which is why he gets caught like a deer in the headlights tying to create options. It is not his go. It is like trying to use a Toyota Hilux to race against a BMW M3.

He's in the same situation as Caldwell was 12 months ago. Caldwell had one freak game vs St Kilda where he kicked goals out of his arse but then couldn't hit the scoreboard. Doesn't have that much forward craft either but he gave us the fwd pressure we needed. Same with Hobbs. Our small forward pressure has been poor, and so we compensate with a defensively minded midfielder.

 

[Yoda_]

Having some forward craft should see him as a place holder until Pekins comes back

 

[faible]

He's clearly an inside mid, half forward will always provide very inconsistent results, Perkins, Setterfield, Shiel and Tsatas weren't in the team yesterday and he still couldn't crack the midfield.

It's not his fault, I think he's a good player in his natural role.

Is the long term goal that he makes it as a half forward?Because who's spot does he take inside?

Move Merrett to a flank, protects his body and still uses his kicking.

Let guys like Caldwell, Durham and Hobbs do the inside stuff.

 

[Milanista28]

Move Merrett to a flank, protects his body and still uses his kicking.

Let guys like Caldwell, Durham and Hobbs do the inside stuff.

I'm sure there is a good way to do it and have most guys contributing, just need to figure out how it looks. If our Injury list shrinks we'll have crazy competition for spots, can only be a good thing.

 

[ant555]

He's in the same situation as Caldwell was 12 months ago. Caldwell had one freak game vs St Kilda where he kicked goals out of his arse but then couldn't hit the scoreboard. Doesn't have that much forward craft either but he gave us the fwd pressure we needed. Same with Hobbs. Our small forward pressure has been poor, and so we compensate with a defensively minded midfielder.

He is but Caldwell always had a better outside game and neater skills.

 

[NAB777]

Get some lessons from Jobe on developing awareness where guys are before getting the ball then dishing off immediately when getting it.

Jobe had that from day 1, it's not an easy thing to teach... you've normally got it or you haven't.

 

[faible]

Jobe had that from day 1, it's not an easy thing to teach... you've normally got it or you haven't.

Sometimes Hobbs does a backwards handball over his head to a player that shows he’s got the awareness, others he gets caught stone cold by someone who should have been obviously there.

 

[fairbump_playon]

He is but Caldwell always had a better outside game and neater skills.

Caldwell also covers the ground better

Hobbs is not in great form / shape at the moment but we have seen him be an effective contributor at times last year. Have no doubt he has a future.

 

[Nicholas61]

Thought he was making an effort to dispose of the ball quicker last night. Looked to give Reid a little smack in the mouth when a couple of other boys gang tackled him - I think they weren't happy about the rag dolling going on.