While he’s always been highly regarded at North Melbourne, Ben Cunnington is finally starting to earn respect for the wider football world after his sensational start to the season.

His past two games against Port and Sydney has seen a total of 60 possessions (39 contested), 20 clearances and 17 tackles prompting the media to sing his praises.



Making his feats most impressive is the fact he’s been operating without the likes of captain Andrew Swallow and Jack Ziebell in the midfield.

In the first four rounds, the 22-year-old has amassed 60 contested possessions (4th in the AFL) and 32 clearances (equal 2nd in the AFL) resulting in claims he’s an early All-Australian contender.



One man who is firming to become a dual AA is defender Scott Thompson. His efforts on Swan star Lance Franklin also celebrated.





The Roos performance overall was one of the best of the week. Speaking on 3AW on Monday, Herald Sun journalist Jon Anderson was of the belief North should be the main story on everyone’s lips, not the demise of Carlton.