Ben Brown has worked hard on his marking, mental side of the game and is already seeing results

AFTER dropping too many marks in last year’s finals series Kangaroo Ben Brown set out to regain confidence and work on his mental game and it’s already it’s paying off.

AFL: Richmond Tigers v North Melbourne Kangaroos at the MCG, 13th September, North Melbourne's Ben Brown goal in the second quarter. Picture: George Salpigtidis

BEN Brown dropped a mark. And then another. And another.

It was last year’s semi-final in Sydney, and Kangaroo Ben Brown reached again for the Sherrin but fumbled.

The next week — against West Coast — it happened again. And again. And again.

North Melbourne’s September campaign was cut short that night and Brown was left to grapple with being a forward with a mark tally of just six in three finals games — far below his usual standard.

Fast-forward seven months and it’s a different story, with the 23-year-old averaging 5.8 marks a match — 2.2 of them contested — after five rounds.

Nowadays all he’s dropping is the self-doubt.

“I dropped one mark and then I’d be thinking about it and drop the next one,” he said of last September. “It was a real lack of confidence.”

The summer — Brown’s first full pre-season since arriving at North Melbourne — brought plenty of work not only on the track but between the ears.

He credits club psychologist Michael Inglis with helping to remind him that he does actually know what he’s doing.

“(Inglis) has put a big emphasis on our on-field preparation on the mental side of it. That’s really improved my self-confidence,” Brown said.

“It was about the way to think during a game, so if you drop one, it’s not necessarily about trying harder.

Ben Brown works with forward teammate Jarrad Waite at training. Picture: Kylie Else

“I was trying hard — I wasn’t trying to drop them. I was thinking about it too much and if you over-think it, it can lead you to poor results.

“It was less about being results-driven, just about going back to what makes you a good mark or a good kick.”

The Tasmanian says he has learned to identify particular “cues” that help deliver a grab, whether it’s in his run-up, his hand position or jump that he zones in on if things aren’t going his way.

His uncle James Manson, a Collingwood premiership player, has also chipped in, with Brown trialling a strategy of staring at the ball for three seconds once he has marked it to ensure he keeps his eye on the leather.

“I’ve marked hundreds of thousands of balls from when I was three years old until now, so I know I can do it — it’s just a case of thinking ‘OK what can I go back to now and refocus on’ as opposed to getting down on myself or doubting my marking because I’ve dropped one or two,” Brown explains.

“It’s about going back to, ‘OK, what makes me a good mark? Do I need to focus on my run-up? Do I need to focus on getting my hands in a good position to mark it?’”

Forward teammates Drew Petrie and Jarrad Waite provide plenty of inspiration for Brown, but he takes just as many lessons from watching his opposition counterparts.

And not just inside 50m, with the 38-gamer admitting he is a student in a classroom that spans the country.

“I try and learn from wherever I can,” he said.

Ben Brown has worked hard on his marking and is already seeing results. Picture: Getty

“If I’m watching another team play, I’m looking at their key forwards and how they set up and take marks and get the ball.

“I can look at Cyril Rioli and look at how he picks the ball up and while I know I’m probably not going to do it as well as him, I can take cues off pretty much anyone to help me play better.

“If you’re constantly thinking about it and have got your mind on the job, you can learn from a lot of places.”

After two preliminary final losses on the trot, the man with that hair is confident the tools are there for the team to live up to the hopes of its veterans and new faces alike and be there on October 1.

“We’ve got such an experienced group now. We’ve got a bunch of guys who have played in two preliminary finals and really want it,” Brown said.

“It’s been a while (since a flag) for this club. I’m pretty new to it., but I want it too.

“I think we can do it — you’ve got to believe that.

“If we’re playing the footy we’re playing now in September, it might not stack up. We’ve got to keep improving and it’s the same thing for me.”

Originally published as Ben Brown has worked hard on his marking, mental side of the game and is already seeing results