The inside story of how star forward Ben Brown came onto North Melbourne’s radar
At the 2013 draft, North Melbourne took a big gamble at pick 30, with the decision leaving Ben Brown out in the open for 17 nerve-racking picks. This is the inside story of one of the Roos’ best draft steals.
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Ben Brown only did what came naturally.
Read the flight, ran to the drop zone, jumped and marked at the highest point.
Walked back a long way, took a breath, jogged in and converted from 45m.
Only difference this time, on the second Saturday in June 2013 at Frankston Oval, it unfolded in front of the right set of eyes and put North Melbourne in the box seat to draft the Tasmanian tyro.
"He just extended and took it 'bang' clean as a whistle," then Kangaroos development coach John Lamont said.
"I can still remember it in my head, it was a real 'WOW' moment.
"The ball went into our forward line, the sort of ball you don’t say it out loud but you think well that's going over his head and then 'F--- he's marked it!'."
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At 200cm, with vice grip, a prodigious set-shot routine and elite endurance, Brown, then 20, had the attributes to make the grade.
A willingness to move to Melbourne, even after being overlooked in three drafts, to join Werribee showed Kangaroos recruiters and coaches Brown also had the appetite to make the grade.
“He was prepared to move from Tasmania to Werribee because he thought that would give him the best chance of getting in front of (AFL) recruiters,” a source said.
“On the guarantee of nothing, to move your life for the best football opportunity.”
It was a risk worth taking, a decision the Kangaroos came to accept only after much deliberation throughout the 2013 season right up to the November 27 draft.
With three selections to make, North Melbourne had to be open-minded and risk averse to pull off the Brown heist draft.
Opposition teams made sure the North Melbourne paid a price for father-son Luke McDonald (pick 8) and then the Kangaroos bolstered the midfield depth with South Australian prospect Trent Dumont at pick 30.
It meant Brown would stay on the board for at least another 17 nerve-racking picks before the Devonport junior would realise an AFL dream and become a Shinboner.
Lamont, who was appointed Werribee coach in 2014, was at all Tigers training sessions and games in 2013, as part of the Kangaroos development role to monitor the AFL-list players.
It turned Lamont into a valuable linkman in the Brown discussions because he saw the Tasmanian improve by the week, on and off the field, and could deliver progress reports to Kangaroos recruiters.
“It was just a growing interest,” Lamont said.
“A gradual and growing interest because his season built and built and built.
“You’d looking at him physically, a bit of a baby giraffe growing into his body, but there was a great scope for improvement.”
The VFL alignment gave the Kangaroos a leg up on the Brown due-diligence, including the insight of AFL-listed Werribee teammates.
“You’re in a better stronger position to have a higher level of confidence in that draft pick because you just get to know them a little better and we were in that situation with Browny,” Lamont said.
“He’d ask a relevant question in a team meeting, not frightened to speak up, attention to detail on things and when you wrap it all up, at six-foot whatever he is you got to give him a chance.
“I can remember having a couple of conversations with Bryce Lewis, who was the national recruiting manager at the time, they were coming to look at him as well … and then we’d cross check.”
Brown booted an impressive 29 goals in the breakout 2013 VFL season, including one five-goal haul and bags of three on five occasions.
Seven years on and twice Coleman Medal runner-up Brown is on the way to mowing down John Longmire (511 goals) as the Kangaroos’ most prolific full-forward with 280 goals from 122 games.
“It is funny draft day, everyone is rapt with their selections (saying) ‘we didn’t think this bloke would get through to that pick’,” Lamont said.
“It’s only five or six years later really you can actual judge how you drafted on that particular day.
“I was always confident he (Brown) would do well, just at that size, sticky fingers, a straight kick and just a good attitude, just an impressive bloke.
“You can’t help but like him.”
THE DILEMMA
NORTH Melbourne had a problem.
Its scouting report on Brown was as positive as it was problematic, in a selfish way.
It led to doubts being raised about the potential recruitment.
What about our other drafted young North Melbourne key forwards?
Will Brown stunt their development?
These were the questions Kangaroos coaches and recruiters deliberated over, mindful of the impact Brown could have on Robbie Tarrant and Lachie Hansen, seen as the likely successors to Drew Petrie.
“He just had a way of drawing the ball,” a source said.
“In the end it was too much, there’s a reason they keep kicking it to him, because he keeps getting to the right spot and he’s hard to defend.”
FIRST FINAL
North Melbourne need not wait long to get bang for buck.
After breaking into Brad Scott’s team in Round 14, 2014 Brown went on to play every game and put in a sparkling finals debut in a famous comeback win over the arch enemy, Essendon.
Brown went into the elimination final off a bag of three goals against Melbourne in Round 23 and went on with the job, breaking Bomber hearts as North wiped a six goal deficit to win by 12 points.
With Drew Petrie and Aaron Black drawing Bomber defenders, Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley, Brown went to work exposing Ariel Steinberg for size in the second half.
Towering Brown booted three of the first four goals after halftime and the first major of the last quarter in the coming of age.
“We talk about players stepping up in big games,” Scott said post-match.
“He was right up for the challenge.”
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Originally published as The inside story of how star forward Ben Brown came onto North Melbourne’s radar