A Star in the Making
- Lucy Price
- May 11, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 4, 2018
Who is Ben Ronke? What does he do? Where is he from? Why is his name, all of a sudden, all over the back page of the newspaper?
Growing up in a small town north of Melbourne, in Craigieburn, all Ben dreamt of doing was to play in the AFL. As a teenager, he represented his local club, the Calder Cannons, playing in the under 18’s squad (pictured left). The TAC Cup is where it all begun for the youngster before becoming eligible for the ‘NAB AFL Draft’. For those who don’t know, the ‘NAB AFL Draft’ or the ‘Rookie Draft’ is a draft that occurs annually and allows unsigned players to be selected by an official AFL team. After the draft, the player has the opportunity to represent their new club in either the youth league or on the main stage, in the AFL. Anyway, let’s get back to the superstar himself. Ben Ronke participated in the 2017 Rookie Draft which saw his current team, the Sydney Swans, select the future star at pick no.17. He was the Swans first pick and was recruited from his under-18’s side, Calder Cannons, where he won the Best and Fairest award in his final year at the club. Wow, even before he started his AFL career he was already a brilliant athlete. Ronke flew to Sydney and join the Swans NEAFL side where he bagged 14 goals in 12 matches. WOW! This kid is a major signing for the Swans and he is only 20-years-old. Yep, he’s 20-years-old. But the best was yet to come for the youngster, his AFL debut.
It didn’t take long for John Longmire, Sydney Swans head coach, to give the champ a start. Ronke made his debut on April 28th 2018 after being naming on the interchange bench against the Geelong Cats in Melbourne. (You have to start somewhere I guess.) He was also selected as an injury replacement for Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, who was sidelined due to an injured heel. Who would think that one star could replace another? The no.25 came onto the field and immediately impressed all sports fans, journalists and commentators with his ball skills and urgency. The debutant finished his debut game with 2 goals, 1 behind and 15 disposals, helping his side defeat the Cats by 17 points (pictured above). This was only the beginning of what would be a bright future for the boy from Craigieburn. Ben Ronke went on to play his second consecutive game against the Roos, or otherwise known as North Melbourne Kangaroos. He didn’t have much of an impact in the round 7 clash, contributing only 2 behinds and 13 disposals, as the Swans fell short by 2 points. But his most memorable match was yet to come.
On a cold and wet rainy Friday night in Melbourne, classic Melbs, Ben Ronke made history and broke records. Playing off the bench against the mighty Hawthorn Hawks, Ronke kicked a miraculous, wait for it…. 7 goals. Yep, 7 goals! Not three or four but seven incredible goals. Unbelievable. (I'd advise you to watch each goal. They’re not to be missed. I’ll share the link below.) The kid displayed a mind-blowing performance with 5 goals in the first-half and 2 in the second-half. After the match, Ben Ronke was asked by FOX Sports how he was going to celebrate his successful night. He told the sports news channel “We might have a couple (of celebratory drinks) somewhere.” But it doesn’t get any better for the 20-year-old who also said “It has always been a dream for as long as I can remember to play on the MCG. Happy days.” I guess dreams do come true. Due to his magnificent performance, Ben was nominated for the Round 8 2018 AFL Rising Star award which is a fantastic achievement he truly does deserve.
Who would have known that a boy from a small town in Victoria would, at 19, be selected to play for the biggest club in the competition, the Sydney Swans, and within a year later, be the most talked about player since his replacement, Buddy Franklin. Who needs Buddy when you have Ronke, am I right?
Ben Ronke…. remember that name because you’re going to see it and hear it a lot more, whether it’s on FOX Sports, scrolling down on your social media feed or even hearing the commentators scream on the radio “Ronke, he’s done it again!”.
Ben Ronke’s seventh heaven: (his seven goals against Hawthorn)
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Thank you!
Lucy xx
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