If Ben Cunnington hasn’t already earned the status of an A-grade AFL player, his 2017 season has surely confirmed it.

While North has struggled to get wins on the board, Cunnington has given his all with some huge individual efforts.

The midfielder sits third in the league for clearances, but when you consider he’s missed two games, is the competition-leader in average clearances.

With 7.9 clearances a match, Cunnington sits ahead of the likes of Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Rockliff, Josh Kennedy, Joel Selwood and Dustin Martin.

In all, he’s registered 111 clearances across the season - just 14 off his mark in the entire 2016 season (125).

He’s even bettered the mark of his Syd Barker Medal winning year in 2015, when he averaged 7.3 clearances a game.

Cunnington’s disposal numbers are at career-highs across the board - 26 disposals a game bettering his previous best of 22.

He’s also well out in front in the coaches’ votes leaderboard at North, with 40 votes, eight ahead of his closest rival Shaun Higgins.

In a tough year, Ben Cunnington has been a shining light.