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Cunnington’s turning point

Many players can pinpoint a defining moment in their careers; for Ben Cunnington it occurred mid-way through 2012.

9:16am  May 1, 2013

Cunnington's tripping charge

NORTH Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington's hopes of a senior recall this round have been jeopardised by a tripping charge arising from his best-on-ground perfo

5:39pm  Jul 2, 2012

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Utah - Testing times

5:19pm  Oct 31, 2011

Best of 2011: North v Bulldogs

3:00pm  Sep 22, 2011

Best of 2011: North Melbourne uncut

10:00am  Sep 19, 2011

Seniors List

10

Ben
Cunnington

Height
185 cm
DOB
30-06-1991
Weight
87 kg
Debut
2010
Games
2013
8
Career
62
Goals
2013
4
Career
19
2013 Dream Team Points
Total
583
Avg
73
BenCunnington

Player Bio

At a Glance

Junior Clubs: Cobden
Debut: 2010
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Brownlow Votes:

Player Sponsors

The Gordon Family/Kids Company Childcare Pty Ltd/Paul Robinson & Mark Cumming

  • In the first half of the season it appeared Cunnington's 2012 would go much the same way as his previous two years - solid in patches but too quiet for long stretches. He was dropped after a 5-possession game against Adelaide in Round 13.
  • He was offered a reprieve via Jack Ziebell's suspension and proceeded to string together the best football of his career. Cunnington combined his handballing, tackling and general attack at the football to show the world why he was rated so highly coming into the 2009 National Draft.
  • During this period, Cunnington notched career highs in tackles (11 v Collingwood), disposals (33 v GWS) and handballs (21 v Melbourne). Alongside Andrew Swallow and Jack Ziebell, Cunnington formed the trio of players who stood up when it mattered most in North's first final since 2008.

 

Background

  • Recruited from Geelong Under 18's
  • An inside midfielder who uses the ball excellently by hand
  • Taken in the same draft as Ryan Bastinac

 

Season by Season

Season by Season

  • In an inconsistent second season, Cunnington found himself in and out of the senior side on numerous occasions as he struggled to exert an influence on games.
  • An injury-interrupted pre-season impacted his chances and essentially had him fighting to regain ground lost throughout the regular season.
  • In a reversal of fortunes from 2010, Cunnington's Midas touch disappeared. Even though he missed six games, he played in 10 of North's 12 losses for the year.

 

  • Cunnington made his debut in Round 5 against Hawthorn and quickly showed his ability to distribute through handball with 10 of his 12 possessions via hand.
  • While he was slow overall to collect high possession count, his tackling was quickly established at AFL level. With 77 tackles in his 18 games he was able to do what few other rookies are capable of.
  • Despite missing four games, Cunnington played in 10 of 11 wins by North for the season.

 

Stats

By the numbers

  • 2013   Season Average
    Games Played 8
    • Kicks 9.5
    • Handballs 10.5
    • Disposals 20.0
    • Marks 2.2
    • Hit-Outs 0.0
    • Tackles 3.7
    • Goals 0.5
    • Dream Team 72.9

2013 Highlights

Statistics Best Opponent Round
Kicks 15 Port Adelaide Rd 6
Handballs 17 Hawthorn Rd 5
Disposals 25 Port Adelaide Rd 6
Marks 5 West Coast Eagles Rd 8
Hit-outs 0 - -
Tackles 7 West Coast Eagles Rd 8
Goals 2 Sydney Swans Rd 3
Dream Team 105 West Coast Eagles Rd 8

2013 Season Breakdown

Rd Opponent Result K H D M HO FF FA T G B DT
1 Collingwood L 87 - 103 10 13 23 3 0 2 1 2 1 0 78
2 Geelong Cats L 112 - 108 5 7 12 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 42
3 Sydney Swans L 92 - 131 13 10 23 5 0 1 0 4 2 0 103
4 Brisbane Lions W 125 - 62 8 7 15 1 0 1 2 4 0 0 52
5 Hawthorn L 99 - 96 5 17 22 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 62
6 Port Adelaide W 93 - 83 15 10 25 2 0 3 1 2 0 0 79
7 Western Bulldogs W 97 - 151 5 13 18 1 0 2 1 4 0 0 59
8 West Coast Eagles L 90 - 88 14 7 21 5 0 2 1 7 1 1 105
9 Adelaide Crows - - - - - - - - - - -
10 St Kilda - - - - - - - - - - -
11 Gold Coast Suns - - - - - - - - - - -
13 Fremantle - - - - - - - - - - -
14 GWS Giants - - - - - - - - - - -
15 Richmond - - - - - - - - - - -
16 Brisbane Lions - - - - - - - - - - -
17 Carlton - - - - - - - - - - -
18 Melbourne - - - - - - - - - - -
19 Geelong Cats - - - - - - - - - - -
20 Adelaide Crows - - - - - - - - - - -
21 Essendon - - - - - - - - - - -
22 Hawthorn - - - - - - - - - - -
23 Collingwood - - - - - - - - - - -
TOTAL W: 3 - L: 5 75 84 159 18 0 11 8 30 4 2 580

By the numbers

  • Career Average
    Games Played 62
    • Kicks 6.9
    • Handballs 9.0
    • Disposals 15.9
    • Marks 2.5
    • Hit-Outs 0.0
    • Tackles 4.5
    • Goals 0.3
    • Dream Team 63.1

Career Highlights

Statistics Best Opponent Round
Kicks 17 GWS Giants Rd 23, 2012
Handballs 21 Melbourne Rd 18, 2012
Disposals 33 GWS Giants Rd 23, 2012
Marks 7 Gold Coast Suns Rd 5, 2012
Hit-outs 1 West Coast Eagles Rd 24, 2012
Tackles 11 Collingwood Rd 21, 2012
Goals 3 West Coast Eagles Rd 6, 2012
Dream Team 110 Collingwood Rd 21, 2012

Career Breakdown

Season Club K H D M HO FF FA T G B DT
2013 North Melbourne 76 84 160 18 0 11 8 30 4 2 583
2012 North Melbourne 146 221 367 61 2 11 22 107 10 4 1502
2011 North Melbourne 101 106 207 31 1 8 18 63 4 2 841
2010 North Melbourne 104 145 249 43 0 4 22 77 1 3 986

Legend

K
Kicks
H
Handballs
D
Disposals
M
Marks
HO
Hit-outs
FF
Frees For
FA
Frees Against
T
Tackles
G
Goals
B
Behinds
DT
Dream Team

Milestones

Games: 54 Goals: 15

 

Q&A

As well as playing great footy, I’d like to be remembered for:
Fisherman

Most memorable victory (AFL or non-AFL):
2010 win versus the Lions at Etihad by 1 point

Most admired player at another club:
Jimmy Bartel and Luke Hodge

Favourite ground to play on:
MCG

Best part about training:
Kicking

Weights or running:
Weights

What would you prefer – mark of the year or goal of the year:
Mark

Which skill do you need to most work on:
Fitness

Complete this line…with two minutes to go in the 2012 Grand Final:
North are three goals up over the Hawks

Who will be Mike Sheahan’s No. 1 ranked player by the end of 2012:
Lance Franklin.

You are running 30 minutes late to an early morning beach recovery session. What’s your excuse:
Flat tyre in Adam Marranello’s car

What is the first thing you would do if you were Andrew Demetriou for a day:
Get a big boat to go fishing

Favourite meal the night before a game:
Pasta

What music helps you get ‘in the zone’ before a game:
RnB

One thing you would change about the world:
No one dies

PlayStation or Xbox? And what’s your favourite game:
Playstation, NBA

Who would win MasterChef at your club? And what’s their signature dish:
Adam Marranello’s special pizza

Your favourite line from a movie:
 

What’s your favourite dance move:
The Marranello

What is your favourite holiday destination in Australia:
Burleigh Heads, QLD

Where would you recommend visiting within your state:
Ottways Rainforest