A dazzling inaugural season with seven goals in just his third game was left in the dust as Ben Ronke faced the second year blues. Sitting on the fringe of selection, he dropped his fantasy average by 16 points with six matches of sub-40 scores, with two less tackles and half the goals. When small forwards aren't tackling or kicking goals they get dropped. Ronke now has Sam Gray to compete with, which is no easy task. The former Calder Cannon will float in and out of the senior lineup and produce inconsistent scores, most of which are well below the desired level. Look elsewhere.
Ronke in the ruck
A dazzling inaugural season with seven goals in just his third game was left in the dust as Ben Ronke faced the second year blues. Sitting on the fringe of selection, he dropped his fantasy average by 16 points with six matches of sub-40 scores, with two less tackles and half the goals. When small forwards aren't tackling or kicking goals they get dropped. Ronke now has Sam Gray to compete with, which is no easy task. The former Calder Cannon will float in and out of the senior lineup and produce inconsistent scores, most of which are well below the desired level. Look elsewhere.
Ronke goes the tonk
Will we ever witness another seven-goal haul from a third-game player like we did with Ben Ronke? Almost certainly not. The dynamic small forward proved that he boasts a laudable high ceiling but it proved to be an outlier, his only score over 82 in his short career. Ronke’s tackling pressure and great goal sense carries a high value for the coaching staff, so he’ll be given every opportunity to attempt to elevate his game to another level. The sky's the limit for this gun small forward, so a late pick would be reasonable.
Ronke still wonky
Compared to Kieren Jack as a junior, Ben Ronke showed an ability in the NEAFL to rack up touches and regularly get forward to impact the scoreboard with 13 disposals and over a goal per game, but only after missing half the season with two broken ribs in separate incidents. His averages of 21 possessions and 87 fantasy points in his last junior year are prehaps more indicative of his ceiling, as it would have been difficult to build a fitness base with that kind of injury. It is likely that Ronke will spend much of 2018 in the NEAFL as well, but a debut isn’t too far away.
