Ainsworth sits among AFL’S best small forwards

THE Ben Ainsworth midfield experiment is officially over and it has helped the sixthyear Sun become one of the most complete small forwards in the AFL, with plenty of growth still to come.

Ainsworth, 24, ranks ninth among all general forwards according to Champion Data putting him right alongside the likes of Toby Greene, Charlie Cameron and Jamie Elliot to name a few.

With 24 goals in 20 appearances the former No.4 overall pick in the 2016 draft is on track to double his previous season-best goals tally following a permanent move inside 50 that has paid dividends for both player and club.

“I sat down with the coaches in our end of year review … and we just wanted to nail down where I was (best suited), which was that small forward position, and make sure I was playing my role each week to help develop my game,” Ainsworth said.

First-year forwards coach Brad Miller spent three seasons at GWS where he helped hone Greene into one of the AFL’S most damaging small forwards.

And one of Miller’s first points of interest when landing at Carrara was to make the most out of Ainsworth’s skillset, which includes a similar aerial ability and inside 50 nous to the Giants superstar.

“Millsy has been fantastic in developing us forwards. For myself, we sat down in the pre-season and understood where we wanted to get to in terms of my football,” Ainsworth said.

“I had a lot of growth to do on-field and off-field, both in my fitness and game style, and he’s been fantastic in developing me and guiding me through that.”

Greene started his career as a midfielder before moving forward and Ainsworth has flourished just the same now that the Suns’ engine room is firing with the likes of Touk Miller, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.

Greene remains the gold standard for small forwards in terms of goals per game but Ainsworth is in a rush to become the best version of himself under the tutelage of Miller and head coach Stuart Dew.

“My finishing around goals has definitely improved this year but I’m continuing to work on that to grow myself as a player. That’s definitely an area I can keep improving,” he said.

The Suns host premiership favourites Geelong at Metricon Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a meeting of two of the most exciting small-forward brigades in the competition.