Ben McEvoy says Steven King has responded to losing his spot in the senior side by helping with the young ruckman's development
1:26pm Sep 22, 2010
Developing a ruckman from scratch is something which has eluded St Kilda, but not for much longer
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Debut: Round 13, 2008 v Fremantle
Recruited From: Dederang-Mt Beauty/Murray U18
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An excellent tap ruckman and improving ball-winner, McEvoy was taken in the 2007 AFL National Draft at pick 9 by the Saints.
He was St Kilda’s number one ruckman again in 2012, and improved his mobility around the ground as well as dropping into defence occasionally.
The acquisition of Tom Hickey is likely to ease the pressure on the big man, who has had injury troubles in the past but looks to have enjoyed a full pre-season in the gym and on the track.
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Ben has come on in leaps and bounds. His ruck work, strength, and work around the ground was excellent in supporting our defence.
This pre-season will give him a chance to get a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger, something he’s been unable to do in the past few years because of injury. Ben is really starting to impose himself as a key ruckman of the competition.
Ben McEvoy debuted for the Saints in 2008, after being drafted by the Club in the 2007 AFL National Draft with pick #9 overall.
He graduated from the Australian Institute of Sport’s AFL Academy squad in 2006 and played for the Murray Bushrangers at both junior and senior level before moving to AFL.
With an injury to former Saints’ Ruckman Michael Gardiner, McEvoy made his AFL debut in 2008 against Melbourne.
The 22-year-old came of age in 2011, playing all but one game and was rewarded with St Kilda’s Most Promising Player Award.
With St Kilda’s ruck stocks largely depleted due to injury, McEvoy shouldered the majority of his side’s ruck duties, averaging 22 hit-outs per game, impressing with his strong marking and ground mobility.
He was by far St Kilda’s leading contested mark taker with 51 and was eighth in the AFL for total hit-outs with 497.
In February, McEvoy was selected to be a part of the Saints’ Leadership Group for the first time. However, he is no stranger to leadership, having captained both the Bushrangers and Vic Country (U18s).
McEvoy suffered a knee injury during training in the lead up to the Saints Round 6 match against Hawthorn this year and is currently sidelined until at least Round 12.
Ben is a dedicated student off the football field and studies a Bachelor of Business.
National Draft from Murray Bushrangers: Pick #9, 2007
AFL St Kilda: 69 games, 21 goals
