Delisted Ben Keays (2015-2019)

[Elixuh]

Ben Keays

Drafted with pick 24 in the 2015 National Draft

Height: 185cm
Weight: 82kg
Club: Brisbane Lions Academy


Media Phantom Drafts:

Emma Quayle:

Pick 18 - Matching Hawthorn's Bid

Busy, always-on-the go midfielder who racks up possessions.

Callum Twomey:

Pick 21 - Matching Hawthorn's Bid

The prolific midfielder continued to build his game this season after breaking onto the scene as a bottom-ager in 2014. Keays has a work ethic that pushes him a long way: he's tough in the clearances, good on the outside and he averaged 28 disposals for Queensland at the under-18 championships to claim the Harrison Medal as the best player in division two. He's ready to play at the next level. Hawthorn might be looking for extra midfield depth, but if a bid comes here it will be matched by the Brisbane Lions, who have first rights over the academy prospect who has lived in Queensland since he was five.

Sam Landsberger:

Pick 22

After taking Schache and Hipwood the Lions build their young midfield with this goalkicking ball magnet who has a razor sharp left foot. Think Simon Black.

Brett Anderson:

Pick 19 - Matching Gold Coast's Bid

“He can’t do any more, that bloke. He’s been All-Australian twice, been captain, great leadership, when the game’s there to be won he always finds a way to go to another level. He always gets possessions every level he’s gone to, so every time he goes up a level he finds the footy. He can play anywhere, really – half forward, wing and as an inside midfielder. He’s not a penetrating kick, but he does it with run and carry.“ – Queensland high performance coach Adrian Fletcher

Quigley:

Pick 8

Keays was an All-Australian last year as a half forward flanker and backed it up this year again making the All-Australian side this time as a midfielder. He was a major reason Qld won Division 2 and was rightly given the medal for the best Div 2 player, averaging 29 disposals per game following on from the 34 disposals a game he got at TAC level. He played a fair bit of senior football in the NEAFL as well including for the Lions and he stepped up to that level pretty easily always getting plenty of the ball.


Keays is an unquestionable ball magnet who works hard and has a great feel for where to run to receive the ball. He gets to dangerous spaces and demands to be used. He has worked hard on his running ability and is now a pretty good runner finishing in the top 10 at the Combine in the 3km. On the field he keeps moving and outworks his opponent. I followed him closely this year and the lowest number of disposals I can recall him getting was 21 disposals with him regularly getting over 30. When you consider how many games he played for the Lions reserves that is all the more impressive especially considering that the senior players often tend to look for their teammates as the 1st and 2nd passing option.


Keays did not time well in the 20m at the Combine but to me he seems to have decent functional speed. He does not have high top end speed but around the clearances he seems to have a quick first few steps. He does well at keeping moving in clearance situations so he already moving when he goes to accelerate which might give him the appearance of being quicker than he actually is. Keays has improved his clearance work quite a bit since last year and continues to do so. He is effective in clearance situations without being an elite inside prospect. He reads the ball off hands well, judges it nicely when to hold and when to go to the ball and has clean hands. His hands are a bit slow but he has seemed to improve in this regard over the year and he is serviceable at clearing the ball. He gets first hands to a lot of ball.


He has reasonable body size for a mid and pretty good strength. He holds his feet well in the contest and has a neat fend which seems to catch tacklers a bit by surprise. He backpedals well and uses this effectively to maintain space and buy time. When it is his turn to tackle he will do so and he picks up his share of tackles each game. He is not a thumping tackle but is generally effective.


One of my big issues with Keays after last year was his lack of hurt factor on his disposals. Sure he got a heap of it but if you were casually watching the game you would hardly notice him. He looked short 1st, 2nd and 3rd last year. This year he still looked short too much but he did show improvement in this area and there were definitely signs that there is a damaging player hiding in there. He is a left footer (with a functional right foot) who, when required, has decent penetration. When he lifts his eyes he showed a nice ability to pick out targets inside 50 with nicely weighted kicks. He is a much better kick when he has time and space and when he doesn’t he can be a bit untidy and he does lack a little composure. Up forward I thought he missed chances that he would have gotten last year and I would like to see him work to recover his goal kicking form as I see him starting his career as a HFF. His handballing is strong off either hand and he sets up play nicely by hand when he has a bit of time. He is not the quickest handballer in contested situations but seems to be improving.


Keays has good spatial awareness and seems to know where everyone is on the park. His ability to read open field play is up with the best in this draft and this allows him to get to the rights spots before others. His agility is decent without being anything exceptional and he is similarly a very capable mark without being considered elite.


The player who, for good reason, he most commonly gets compared to is Dayne Beams. I watched Beams as a junior and they did play very similarly. Both were big ball winners playing as inside out types despite them not being true inside players. Beams started his career as a flanker before moving into the midfield full time and I see the same happening for Keays. Like Beams I can see Keays adapting to the AFL pretty quickly and being a big ball winner once there. Perhaps a step below the true elites in the competition but certainly a very good player in any midfield.

Skippos:

Pick 14

Style: Tom Mitchell? Can't think of a good one
Comparison: Liam Shiels? Again, can't think of a good one.

Ben Keays is the best academy player the Lions have produced, and certainly the most natural footballer. He is a midfielder who can really hurt a side forward of centre, with his forward ability so good that if he doesn't thrive in the midfield, he has got the scope to thrive forward. One-on-one he outbodies and outpositions his opponent, rarely losing a marking contest to a similar sized opponent, while when forward he acts as another threat on the lead, positioning himself dangerously partially due to a lack of defensive ethic - he spends his timechasing his next disposal and not his man. He iscapable of winning his own ball and receiving it outside however he is not dominant on the inside, merely capable. It is not the kind of inside game that will carry him at AFL level. Likewise, as the best player on the Queensland side, players often actively look to feed him the ball outside the contest which results in inflated possession counts and possessions in occasionally unfavourable positions. By foot, Keays is reliable but not fantastic, often kicking floating balls without penetration, as well as lacking any semblance of a right foot. Athletically Keays runs all day but is not particularly quick or agile.

Knightmare:

Pick 6

Best position/role: Rotational midfielder (inside leaning)/forward.

Strengths:
Marking ability – Keays has strong hands overhead and is a genuine marking threat forward of centre which is a terrific weapon for a midfielder and greatly increases his versatility. He can take 1v1 marks, marks on the lead and also marks in the air. He takes his marks overhead and takes his marks one grab. Also with body contact or bodies crashing into him he has the ability to take his marks cleanly.
1v1 ability – Keays in the 1v1 contest has excellent strength and against similar sized opponents consistently through superiority of body work and strength overhead outpoints his opponents.
Scoreboard impact - Keays is an excellent finisher from general play and set shots, and loves a goal, hitting the scoreboard with frequency and accurately whether he is playing through the midfield or in the front half.
Decision making ability – Keays consistently chooses the correct options be it in general play or after a mark/free kick. He has composure and takes the time to assess his options, does not rush, and picks out a high percentage target by both hand and foot.
Vision – Keays demonstrates excellent vision consistently lowering his eyes and finding the best and open targets inside 50 and up the field.
Ball use – Keays is a highly efficient user of the footy as demonstrated by his 81.43% disposal efficiency through the 2014 u18 championships. By hand he is reliable and by foot over short, medium and long distances also hits his targets, kicking it out in front of his targets or to the space for them to lead onto easily. Keays has good hurt factor and a 50-55m kick on him.
Contested ball winning ability and work at stoppages – Keays is an excellent contested ball winner and manages consistently high contested possession numbers. He also is a threat at stoppages and will get his share of meaningful clearances where he not only gets the clearance be it by winning first possession himself or receiving, but also can find targets by foot up the field with his kicks, taking his time with ball in hand to find a meaningful target, and can hit his targets in this situations at a good frequency.
Running ability – Keays is an exceptional endurance runner. He runs a 15+ beep and runs all day out on the field. He also has excellent agility and uses his agility well in game demonstrating a quick first step and excellent side to side movement particularly impressing.
Inside/outside balance – Keays has ability both inside and outside the contest. As an inside midfielder Keays can win the contested ball, tackles strongly and can also win the clearances. He uses the ball reasonably well under pressure and by hand and foot can execute. Then outside the contest Keays can also find the footy, take a mark around the ground and also hits his targets with consistency and have an impact. Keays is slightly better suited in my view as an inside player it is unusual that a junior has such a well balanced combination of an inside/outside game, so that is a big advantage with Keays.
Production – Keays is already a proven performer finishing the 2014 and 2015 U18 Championships as an All Australian, proving that he can find the footy in bunches, take a grab and hit the scoreboard.
Defensive side of his game – Keays while he is exceptionally damaging offensively also has a great balance of offense and defence to his game. Keays is a strong tackler and gives good tackling and pressuring effort and will also provide good two way running and push back and help out the defence at opportune times.
Weaknesses:
Ability v strong teams – Keays I have found against inferior opposition tears them to shreds, but against stronger teams while he still will perform strongly, he doesn’t dominate to the same extent. So finding that next level to his game against better competition will be one of the elements Keays will need to work on and find a way to improve.
One sided – Keays at this point seems a left footer only and unwilling to use his right foot in the games I have seen. That ability to use both sides or at least use his right side when he needs to is something Keays would benefit from building into his game. In saying that he has so much time and composure, and is so great with his ball use on his left, it’s not going to make much of a difference, with so few players today duel sided anyway.
Summary:
Keays projects to become a 200 gamer who can play from season one and has the ability to be the most damaging midfielder in this draft with his class and ability to hit the scoreboard. Keays has the ability to play regular senior games from season one if the opportunity presents.

News Articles:

Ben Keays Excited For 2015 AFL Draft

BEN Keays was already a Brisbane Lions supporter when he moved from Melbourne to Brisbane as a five-year-old in 2002. His dad grew up a Fitzroy fan, and Keays attended the 2001 Grand Final when the club clinched a breakthrough premiership win.

They went again to the Grand Final in 2004, when the Lions' run of three flags came to an end. "I was bawling my eyes out when we lost," Keays said. "That was a sad day."

Keays joined the Lions' academy a couple of years after moving to Brisbane, and has played with the club's NEAFL team over the past two seasons. He still shakes his head at the heroes he's been able to play with and meet in his time around the Lions so far.

10 days to the draft: Meet the hardworking ball-magnet Ben Keays

Keays finds the ball like few can. In his three games during the championships he averaged nearly 29 disposals an outing, and in another four games for Queensland in the TAC Cup he lifted it to 34 disposals a game.

The 18-year-old is also a nice blend as an inside and outside midfielder. At the carnival he averaged 13 handball receives (showing his work rate) but also had more than five clearances a game, which got his side moving at the stoppages.

More than anything, Keays is consistent. No matter what level he has played over the past two seasons he has found a way to win disposals, get on the end of the play and kick a goal, and play in a tough and unflinching way. At last month's NAB AFL Draft Combine he ran 10:08 in the 3km time trial, the third best time of any player.

Keays is a back-to-back All Australian, he captained Queensland this year and was elevated to the NAB AFL Academy for 2015.

Ben Keays wins Hunter Harrison Medal as Queensland wins Division 2 U18s National Championships

AS eight potential draftees converge on Etihad Stadium, representing each region competing in the Under 18s National Championships, there’s one who immediately grabs your attention.

Bounding around and chatting with opposition players, photographers and journalists, it’s clear to see why Ben Keays commands the respect of his teammates.

Later described as one of the most “positive” and “energetic” kids at the championships by AFL Academy assistant coach Glen Jakovich, the 18-year-old is impressing recruiters both on and off the field.

Keays was named the Hunter Harrison Medallist as Queensland won its first Division 2 title in nine years, averaging 28.6 disposals and 5.3 clearances per game across the carnival.

 

[Elixuh]

 

[ZoBlitz]

 

[dlanod]

He'll be wearing #1 for the Lions in 2016.

 

[blynd_freddie]

Over the next few weeks I will be adding a couple of U18 Champ/TAC photos of our draftees that I had taken over the year.

Where else should one start other that at #1 - Ben Keays.

 

[lionshine]

http://www.lions.com.au/video/2015-12-15/getting-to-know-rhys-ben

 

[ZoBlitz]

Checking In With Our Draftees

Ben Keays: One of the front-runners in the club's 3km time trials, is has translated to match simulation work where he bobs up everywhere. Is already driving older players to match his intensity.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Pre-Season Stand Outs

A couple of draftees have also turned heads. Ben Keays is right alongside Bell and Bastinac, while Rhys Mathieson has impressed with his bull-at-a-gate style in any contested training.

 

[ZoBlitz]

The Boys Who Have Bulked Up

And finally, after just three months into pre-season training, it looks like draftee Ben Keays has added some bulk and tone.

Draft Night

Pre-season training in February

 

[Dylan12]

Reserves Wrap: V Redland

Played inside as a midfielder for us. He got tackled a bit on the weekend and probably didn’t show us enough composure with ball in hand. A lot of ground ball / handball pick up work to be done through the week for Benny – just now consistently playing at a higher level. But his GPS and his ability to run was again promising. We’re still seeing some good signs, it’s probably now just the polish stuff he needs to work on with his skills going into the next game.

 

[Dylan12]

Match Preview: Reserves

IT’S A BIG WEEK FOR…
Ben Keays. He was pick no. 24 in the 2015 AFL National Draft and the Hyundai Help for Kids Lions Academy product has been the standout performer in the young Lions Reserves side. Averaging 33 disposals per game this year, another strong week from Keays in the midfield would put him right in contention for a call-up to Justin Leppitsch’s senior side.

 

[Dylan12]

Lions Reserves Go Down in ANZAC NEAFL Thriller

TBen Keays had another solid game kicking three goals, including the first of the game to give the Lions a strong start.

 

[mpal6]

He'll be likely for Christensen. Debut against the Swans at Gabba. would be awesome.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Ben Keays is set to make his AFL debut for Brisbane Lions against Sydney Swans

MAROON-grown midfielder Ben Keays is set for a baptism of fire when he makes his AFL debut against high-flying Sydney at the Gabba on Sunday.

Keays, 19, has been rewarded with a senior call-up after being a ball-magnet for the Lions’ reserves in the NEAFL.

The Morningside junior was a two-time under-18 All-Australian and won the Harrison Medal for the best division two player at the national championships last year.

The Lions Academy graduate was taken by Brisbane at pick No.24 in last year’s draft and his silky skills and tireless work ethic have made him a standout in the reserves.

He had 19 touches and three goals as a defensive forward for the Lions in their three-point loss to Aspley last week.

It was enough to convince Brisbane to give Keays a chance at the top level with small forward Josh Green set to miss the next couple of weeks with a rib injury.

 

[Dylan12]

 

[Panthera]

Seems like a confident kid

Bummer that he's replacing Green though

 

[Dylan12]

Keays To Debut Against Swans

Brisbane's future will be on show when young midfielder Ben Keays makes his debut for the Lions on Sunday against the Sydney Swans.

Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch informed the 19-year-old this morning, before making an announcement to the full playing group prior to Wednesday's training.

A prolific ball-magnet with a terrific work rate, Keays was developed through the Hyundai Help for Kids Lions Academy and was taken at No. 24 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.

The Queenslander has averaged just under 30 disposals and a goal a game in his four NEAFL matches this season playing for the Lions’ Reserves.

“It’s been something I’ve been waiting for for a long time,” Keays told lions.com.au

“I was battling it out in the Reserves and we were having some tough losses, but I was just trying to do everything right and keep working hard and in the end I got the reward.”

At 185cm and 82kg, Keays has traditionally played as an inside midfielder. He kicked three goals on Saturday against Aspley playing across half-forward, however, and the Brisbane Lions plan to use the on-baller in a similar role on Sunday.

“I’ll be playing up forward – so it’s something a bit different.

“I did spend last week in the reserves up forward. It’s a role I’ve played in the past as a junior. It’s obviously a little different so I’ll keep learning and hanging off the small forwards and get their advice."

Keays moved from Melbourne to Brisbane as a five-year-old in 2002 and grew up as a Lions supporter. He will make his debut on Sunday in front of family and friends.

“I’ve watched so many games at The Gabba, just too many to count as a supporter so to be actually playing in one is obviously going to be pretty crazy.

“I’ll look out to Section 62 where my family has always sat, and see if I can see them and hopefully kick a goal and have a good win.”

 

[MacMum]

Looking forward to seeing this young man out there ....

 

[ZoBlitz]

Reserves Wrap - Aspley Hornets - 23/04/16 (Shane Woewodin’s comments)

Played more as a high forward this week – probably just to give himself a chance to play senior footy in another role and develop himself in another position. He’s probably highly unlikely to play as a mid just yet early in his career at senior level but we’re giving him the opportunity to get another position. He knew the role, played the role really well. He had it about 20 times, he kicked 3.1. He impacted the scoreboard, laid his 4-5 tackles. His work rate with his GPS was high, top 3 on the day. Like Jackson Paine he has been one of our most consistent performers over the first 4 rounds.

 

[captainrich]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/br...s/news-story/94805237fd307f07be20397b1c28e2c0

giddy up hey, apparently debut confirmed

 

[Dylan12]

Young Lion set to roar against Sydney Swans

BRISBANE Lions youngster Ben Keays will make his AFL debut against the Sydney Swans at the Gabba on Sunday afternoon.

Keays, 19, is a product of the Lions' academy and was recruited with pick No.24 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.

He has averaged nearly 30 disposals and a goal per game for the Lions' reserves side in the NEAFL this season.

Lions coach Justin Leppitsch broke the news to the youngster on Wednesday morning before it was announced to his teammates.

"It's been something I've been waiting for a long time," Keays told the club's website.

"I was battling it out in the reserves and we were having some tough losses, but I was just trying to do everything right and keep working hard and in the end I got the reward."

Keays was recruited as an inside midfielder after dominating division two of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships last year. He has twice been named an under-18 All Australian and also won the Harrison Medal as the best player in division two last year.

But the Lions will use him at half-forward against the Swans after he kicked three goals in the reserves.

"I'll be playing up forward – so it's something a bit different," Keays said.

"I did spend last week in the reserves up forward. It's a role I've played in the past as a junior. It's obviously a little different so I'll keep learning and hanging off the small forwards and get their advice."

Keays will be the second Lion to make his AFL debut this season after Josh Schache in round one against West Coast.

 

[Surly Boy]

“The nerves haven’t kicked in yet but it’s a massive thrill to play a senior game for this club and I just want to do my family proud.’’

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...t/news-story/7105d689d9cdd9395cdad0704a0f5be0

 

[MacMum]

Aliiir who?

 

[Lionheart182]

Happy with his debut. 11 possessions but 8 tackles and just popped up whenever we needed him. Got a really good feeling about this one.

 

[captainrich]

his celebration when he kicked the goal was absolutely awesome, shows how much he loves the club, trying to rile the boys into action. if only we could get more like him