Hobbs has eyes on draft

Projected 2021 Australian Football League first-round draft pick Ben Hobbs continues to perform strongly in Victoria’s premier pathway competition.

Hobbs, from Horsham and an inside midfielder for Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the under-18 NAB Cup competition, said he was looking forward to an upcoming player draft.

Many AFL draft experts have predicted that Hobbs, 17, who played with Wimmera league club Horsham, will be in the top 10 picks.

AFL clubs will select players in the national draft in November.

Hobbs said players such as Nick Daicos and Jason Horne, projected top-three picks, were always great to learn from, despite spending limited time with them.

“They are great to learn from – from their preparation before the game to their on-field performance and I look forward to playing them for hopefully many years to come,” he said.

Hobbs also talked about fellow Horsham draft hopeful Sam Breuer and how Breuer had helped him with his journey.

“He is very draftable and works very hard. Every second day during lockdown we would train together, which helped keep our skills sharp during the break,” he said.

An ankle injury sidelined Hobbs for two months.

He said rehabilitation had been important to allow him to resume playing. A few confidence-boosting games also came in handy.

“Following the rehab program as best as I could was important, as was getting my fitness back up before playing again and good games helped with confidence,” Hobbs said.

He said he also recognised and understood the importance of coaching and singled out his Rebels coach this year, David Loader.

He added playing basketball and the opportunities provided by AFL clubs in the development of his football had also been beneficial.

“David has been great. In an important year for the players, he has been a fantastic coach who all the boys get behind and want to play for,” he said.

“Basketball helped a lot with all the fitness at trainings and required in games. Tournaments helped me understand and get exposure to high-pressure situations.

“I was very lucky earlier in the year to be invited to train with Collingwood for a week.

“It was a great opportunity and

“It was a great opportunity and taught me that getting drafted is the easy part – you have to work hard every day, otherwise you get spat out of the AFL system” – Ben Hobbs

taught me that getting drafted is the easy part – you have to work hard every day, otherwise you get spat out of the AFL system.”

Hobbs said his goal was to get drafted, smoothly transition into the AFL system and ‘hopefully get a few early games’.

When asked about who he believed his game style resembled, he said draft-board rankings often drew comparisons between him and established AFL players Jacob Hopper from GWS Giants and Taylor Adams, Collingwood.

“It’s those players and Travis Boak from Port Adelaide who I feel my game style is like – with how they get contested ball and kick some goals. Hopefully that’s what I can do,” he said.

Hobbs has been boarding at Ballarat Clarendon College for the past four years and spoke about how the school had been able to do its best at providing him with the ‘right’ food.

“Getting the right nutrition is pretty tough, but the school provides healthy options and helps me manage my nutrition,” he said.