Ben Cunnington

[Rod Stroker]

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

Then you clearly suck at watching football, because there was only 1 person on the ground who had more ranking points than he did
http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2018/15/ess-v-nmfc

We get it. You hate North. But your moaning is getting old and boring.

We were widely tipped to finish bottom 2 this year, while the Bombers were tipped to play finals, some had them as contenders.
Yet here we are with 4 rounds to go and we're ahead of you.
Must suck to follow the only non-expansion team who hasn't won a final in 13 years. Looks like the streak is set to continue for another year. Good times!

 

[Boomerfan99]

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.

So like one of Heppel's best games?

 

[Boomerfan99]

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

Except put that flog Stringer on his ass.

 

[Boomerfan99]

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.

Reckon you are selling him a little short on his field kicking.

 

[Kram]

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.

You forgot not being covered with s**t tattoos.

 

[Jobe Watson]

Then you clearly suck at watching football, because there was only 1 person on the ground who had more ranking points than he did
http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2018/15/ess-v-nmfc

0 Coaches votes. I'm pretty sure Merrett had more clearances in the first 15 minutes of that game than Cunnington had for the entire match.

Me not thinking Cunnington is underrated has nothing to do with me hating North. One BnF and zero All-Australians to his name. Most people rate him appropriately.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

0 Coaches votes. I'm pretty sure Merrett had more clearances in the first 15 minutes of that game than Cunnington had for the entire match.

Me not thinking Cunnington is underrated has nothing to do with me hating North. One BnF and zero All-Australians to his name. Most people rate him appropriately.

Ben Cunnington is the exact type of player that Essendon need. If he was in your team you might actually win a final.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

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

Yeah he has incredible hands and vision, he's among the top few in that regard.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Ben Cunnington is the exact type of player that Essendon need. If he was in your team you might actually win a final.

Yeah It's bizarre that a Bombers fan of all people wouldn't appreciate a genuine inside clearance mid, as they won't win a final until they get one.

 

[Damon_3388]

Yeah It's bizarre that a Bombers fan of all people wouldn't appreciate a genuine inside clearance mid, as they won't win a final until they get one.

They can always hang their hat on that David Myers BOG performance against the Roos a month ago, I guess.

 

[shinboner spiggs]

0 Coaches votes. I'm pretty sure Merrett had more clearances in the first 15 minutes of that game than Cunnington had for the entire match.

Me not thinking Cunnington is underrated has nothing to do with me hating North. One BnF and zero All-Australians to his name. Most people rate him appropriately.

He wasnt that influential partly because it was an Etihad, uncontested shootout. Literally the anti-cunnington game.

0 All Australians is likely due to the fact that he isnt a player who can get chucked on a half forward flank because he had a semi good year but there were others better. Its on the ball or nothing, and will never usurp Fyfe, Danger, Martin, Cripps etc; the super elite. He has no speed. It wont matter to him, he's a fantastic footballer and worth his weight in gold.

 

[Ambrosia]

Big Cunnington fan. He's a very effective player who is underrated due to North having too many of his type and also playing a low possession game style

 

[Oscarman]

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

It was a bruise free, almost exclusively outside game that totally would not suit his skill set though.

 

[van peebles]

Bernie Vince was quoted saying BenTen has a lot of gutz.

 

[Harris 10]

Knows how to handball.

Great to see an opposition supporter pick this up, he's the best by hand since Simon Black

 

[Damon_3388]

He wasnt that influential partly because it was an Etihad, uncontested shootout. Literally the anti-cunnington game.

It was a bruise free, almost exclusively outside game that totally would not suit his skill set though.

That's not something that's decided beforehand though. It goes that way because players like Cunnington aren't imposing their will and usual playing style on the game.

Cunnington still had a good performance and got in on the attacking action though - 23 disposals (10 contested, 91.3% efficiency), 4 clearances, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 2 goals, 2 goal assists, and 9 score involvements in just 76% gametime. To raise people's opinion of him, and make himself a more versatile threat, they're probably the types of games you'd like to see him have more often, when needed.

 

[Milanista28]

Ben Cunnington is the exact type of player that Essendon need. If he was in your team you might actually win a final.

Would love him.

 

[blitzer]

Ben Cunnington is clearly a very good player and any club in the comp would want him. Is he a hidden superstar? Hell no he's been performing at that very good level for years but has never gone to a completely new level where you could genuinely place him among the stars of the competition. Not underrated and not overrated.

 

[DapperDon]

Except put that flog Stringer on his ass.

You mean when he gave away a stupid 50m when the game was still on the line and threw away any chance you had?

Dat Shinboner Spirit!!

 

[DapperDon]

So like one of Heppel's best games?

Odd comparison, one is an All Australian and in strong contention again this season.

 

[master bate]

His best games are exceptional because he's so good at the contest when he's dominating he can just take over at the stoppages and be nearly unstoppable. But he doesn't do it regularly enough.

For all the talk of how good his handballing can be he also misses left handed handballs or goes inside out on his right too much for such a strong inside player. Bit late for that now at AFL level but it's a shame someone in his junior career or early days didn't get him using both hands (yet alone feet)

 

[Rod Stroker]

0 Coaches votes. I'm pretty sure Merrett had more clearances in the first 15 minutes of that game than Cunnington had for the entire match.

Me not thinking Cunnington is underrated has nothing to do with me hating North. One BnF and zero All-Australians to his name. Most people rate him appropriately.

So Merrett has his 15 minutes of fame. Meanwhile Cunnington has the league record for contested possessions (which help to create clearances).

Merrett is as much over rated as Cunnington is under rated. Probably even more so. He would have hardly had a clearance at all that day if Jacobs had played, because we all know how well Merrett can handle a tag.

 

[Rod Stroker]

It was a bruise free, almost exclusively outside game that totally would not suit his skill set though.

Still have to win it on the inside, before it can get to the outside.

 

[Kram]

Odd comparison, one is an All Australian and in strong contention again this season.

The AA selectors are generally biased idiots.

 

[DapperDon]

The AA selectors are generally biased idiots.

Yeah no argument there