Ben McGlynn

Ben McGlynn
McGlynn playing for the Sydney Swans reserves in August 2016
Personal information
Full name Ben McGlynn
Date of birth (1985-08-06) 6 August 1985 (age 39)
Original team(s) Bendigo Pioneers (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 55, 2006 rookie draft
Debut Round 10, 2006, Hawthorn vs. Western Bulldogs, at Telstra Dome
Height 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 75 kg (165 lb)
Position(s) Forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2006–2009 Hawthorn 044 0(28)
2010–2016 Sydney 127 (167)
Total 171 (195)
International team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2011 Australia 0
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2010.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Ben McGlynn (born 6 August 1985) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League. He is currently an assistant coach at the St Kilda Football Club.

AFL career

Recruitment

A small onballer, McGlynn was picked late by Hawthorn in the 2006 rookie draft after impressing at the Box Hill Hawks the VFL affiliated club with the Hawks. Originally from Dareton, New South Wales, he played for the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup.[1]

McGlynn excelled for Box Hill at VFL level and is a centre clearance specialist who will only improve as he builds his fitness to AFL standards.

Hawthorn (2006–2009)

During the 2006 season McGlynn made his debut against the Bulldogs in round 10, in which he kicked a goal. He continued to play three more at senior level and did OK as a small forward. He was promoted to the seniors list at the end of the 2006 season. In 14 games for Box Hill during the 2006 season he featured in the best players eight times.[2]

In 2007 McGlynn played 21 games for Hawthorn after injured skipper Richie Vandenberg left an opening in the midfield.

Sydney (2010–2016)

McGlynn and Josh Kennedy were traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of the 2009 season.[2] His transfer has appeared to have immediate dividends with McGlynn booting a career-best 5 goal haul against the Adelaide Crows in his second game for the Swans. McGlynn unfortunately missed many games due to various injuries, including a quad injury and a cheek fracture sustained in a brutal collision with Zac Clarke of Fremantle at Subiaco Oval. When he played however he was one of the most consistent players for the side, playing through the forward line and providing quality defensive pressure and goal kicking ability.

McGlynn's 2011 season was book-ended by very consistent play in different roles. He started in the same role he played for much of 2010, a small forward. Here he kicked goals often and was the leading Swans' goal kicker at the halfway point of the year. So dangerous was he becoming that opposition sides started to tag him more heavily and as such, McGlynn's output through the middle of the year dropped. Coach John Longmire consequently moved him into the midfield to play as a tagger (a role which he played during his time in Hawthorn) and McGlynn's performances improved markedly. His performance in the Swans' massive upset win over Geelong at Skilled Stadium was particularly noteworthy as he not only limited the influence of star Cat midfielder Joel Selwood but also led the clearance count and had over 20 possessions in a near BOG performance. McGlynn's year was rewarded with a 9th-place finish in the 2011 Bob Skilton Medal.

McGlynn missed out on playing in the Swans' 2012 AFL Grand Final victory due to a hamstring injury sustained in week one of the finals. He had been very consistent for Sydney across half forward and in the midfield to that point in the year.

At the conclusion of the 2016 season after playing in the losing grand final, he announced his retirement from the AFL.[3]

Statistics

Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2006 Hawthorn 43 4 2 1 48 24 72 26 11 0.5 0.3 12.0 6.0 18.0 6.5 2.8 0
2007 Hawthorn 22 21 15 11 230 121 351 142 50 0.7 0.5 11.0 5.8 16.7 6.8 2.4 3
2008 Hawthorn 21 3 2 1 32 18 50 22 8 0.7 0.3 10.7 6.0 16.7 7.3 2.7 0
2009 Hawthorn 21 16 9 16 170 128 298 92 61 0.6 1.0 10.6 8.0 18.6 5.8 3.8 1
2010 Sydney 21 14 23 13 147 99 246 78 45 1.6 0.9 10.5 7.1 17.6 5.6 3.2 8
2011 Sydney 21 24 30 24 235 135 370 85 114 1.3 1.0 9.8 5.6 15.4 3.5 4.8 6
2012 Sydney 21 22 30 24 206 119 325 80 73 1.4 1.1 9.4 5.4 14.8 3.6 3.3 2
2013 Sydney 21 21 30 16 191 88 279 62 87 1.4 0.8 9.1 4.2 13.3 3.0 4.1 0
2014 Sydney 21 19 24 16 233 151 384 83 121 1.3 0.8 12.3 7.9 20.2 4.4 6.4 12
2015 Sydney 21 9 6 6 83 52 135 45 42 0.7 0.7 9.2 5.8 15.0 5.0 4.7 0
2016 Sydney 21 18 24 11 157 88 245 66 79 1.3 0.6 8.7 4.9 13.6 3.7 4.4 1
Career[4] 171 195 139 1732 1023 2755 781 691 1.1 0.8 10.1 6.0 16.1 4.6 4.0 33

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Ben joined St Kilda as an assistant coach in October 2016.[5]

References

  1. ^ Hawk's bush courage
  2. ^ a b Slick recruit Ben McGlynn to transform midfield
  3. ^ Curley, Adam (6 October 2016). "Veteran Swan McGlynn announces his retirement". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Ben McGlynn stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  5. ^ "McGlynn joins coaching panel".