VFL dasher Ben Jepson pushing for Gold Coast Suns SSP rookie listing
Ben Jepson played in a school football premiership with Nick Daicos, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson. Now, he joins the latter two on the Gold Coast Suns list.
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For Ben Jepson, it’s a bit like old days.
Well, like school days at least.
A few years ago there was a photo kicking around of Jepson, Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and Nick Daicos when they were students and leading footballers at Carey Grammar.
They were holding the APS premiership cup, Carey’s first in more than 20 years.
Three of them are back together now at the Gold Coast Suns, Rowell and Anderson as top-liners in the AFL and Jepson the latest Suns signing via the SSP.
Welcome to the team, mate 🤠pic.twitter.com/ZlspeRM9AA
— Gold Coast Suns (@GoldCoastSUNS) January 30, 2025
The smooth-moving VFL half-back and wingman was the only player training with the Suns for an SSP position and was signed on Thursday, called up after an outstanding first season for Southport.
After joining the Sharks from Coburg, where he was the best and fairest in 2023, he finished second to Boyd Woodcock in their club-champion award and earned VFL team-of-the-year honours.
Sharks coach Steve Daniel confided last season that the club knew it was getting an accomplished player, but Jepson had exceeded expectations.
He averaged 24.7 possessions from 22 matches for a team that contested the grand final.
“I grew in confidence last year,’’ Jepson, 23, says. “I had the confidence to take the game on a bit more and back myself in. I was playing it too safe early on in my VFL career, worried about making mistakes. Last year I went for my kicks and wasn’t afraid of turning it over. I think I got better with my contest work too, being that bit stronger.’’
The Suns noticed his dash out and delivery out of defence, and recruiting manager Kall Burns made contact. He’s been training with Gold Coast since last November.
Jepson says the Suns gave him no promises or guarantees. But they did give him hope, always fuel for mature-age state-league players.
Last year he enjoyed watching the rise of Shaun Mannagh at Geelong and Sam Clohesy at the Suns, both drafted out of the VFL.
“Obviously the older you get, realistically the less chance you have of being picked up,’’ Jepson says.
“But there’s been some good stories out of the VFL lately, like Shauny Mannagh.
“So that gives you encouragement. I’ve thought I’d enjoy my footy, play to the best of my ability, try to get better, win a few games and see what happens.’’
Jepson, a Camberwell Sharks junior, was a prominent player for his school. But unlike Rowell and Anderson, he was not a regular with the Oakleigh Chargers in the Under 18s.
“I played a couple of games but not really anything of significance,’’ he says. “I didn’t get picked a lot for them. I was a pretty late developer. I was skinny and raw when I was in Year 12. I didn’t start to fully develop until Covid, when I grew and got into the gym and filled into my body a bit more.’’
After the Covid wipe-out of 2020, he joined Coburg and played locally for Old Carey in the amateurs, finishing second to his brother Tom in the best and fairest.
On the fringes with the Burgers in his first season, he was a leading player in his second and third. Club GM Sebastian Spagnuolo never missed a chance to promote him as a draft prospect.
At the end of 2023, Jepson signed with Southport. He says he made the move more for a change of lifestyle than a fresh start for his football.
“I felt if my footy is good enough, regardless of what team you’re at, you’ll still get picked up,’’ he says.
“If I could live on the ‘Goldy’ and still play VFL footy, it sounded like a no-brainer to me, with that love of the beach and the sun.’’
He has family in northern NSW too.
Coburg, of course, was aghast to lose its club champion. But the Burgers had their fingers (and toes) crossed that the Suns would go with Jepson.
Coburg senior coach Jamie Cassidy-McNamara says his former charge belongs at the highest level.
“Everything he does is really scalable to the AFL,’’ he says.
“He’s a good athlete, he can play taller or smaller than he is, he’s neat left and right, strong offence, strong defence … I just think he’s a nice, well-rounded player.’’
Jepson has been living with Anderson on the Gold Coast since relocating to Queensland.
Besides being a housemate, Anderson has been an encouraging teammate on the training track for the SSP aspirant.
Speaking before he was signed, Jepson said he had relished being a full-time footballer for a few months.
“I’m just enjoying it. I’m trying not to get too hyped up. But it’s something I wanted to do my whole life. To be able to live an AFL lifestyle, whether it’s a gruelling session in the heat or it’s doing weights on a Wednesday afternoon or it’s getting a message … I’m enjoying all of it. I’m just grateful to be in the this position at the moment.’’
The word out of Southport is that the Sharks are resigned to losing Jepson.
But it’s a waiting game for him.
“I’m the only one training for it (SSP rookie-listing) at the moment, but I think they can leave it open if they want to and leave it for the midseason (draft),’’ Jepson says.
“Or they might sign me tomorrow or they might wait later. I’ve got no idea. I’ll just keep rocking up until they tell me otherwise.’’
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