ONE of the most highly regarded inclusions to the SANFL Under 18 competition for Round 4 was Glenelg co-captain Ben Ridgway. The hard working midfielder returned from a hip complaint which saw him miss the last fortnight, quickly getting back up to speed in the Bays’ road win over South Adelaide.

Ridgway will be familiar to those who follow the junior SANFL grade having skippered Glenelg to last year’s premiership as a bottom-ager. He’s renowned for his ravenous running capacity and contested nous, and may be a prospect who breaks into senior grades as the season progresses.

We put the 18-year-old’s latest performance under the Player Focus microscope this week.

>> SANFL Under 18s MOTR: Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood

GlenelgMidfielder

Benjamin Ridgway

Height: 183cm

Weight: 80kg

DOB: 12-01-2005

FROM THE COACH:

“Ben is one of the hardest workers in this age group from what we have seen so far. He has also experienced a senior preseason with Glenelg.

“Ben plays as an inside midfielder, high forward, where he can use his strong contest work and high-speed running ability to benefit his team.

“He has also been a willing on-field leader for a few years now. Ben is working hard to fine tune his kicking skills under pressure.”

> South Australia Under 18 Coach Tony Bamford via SANFL.

PLAYER FOCUS:

2023 SANFL Under 18s Round 4
South Adelaide 8.7 (55) def. by Glenelg 15.8 (98)

#5 Ben Ridgway (Glenelg)
Stats: 31 disposals (18 kicks, 13 handballs), 5 marks, 3 tackles, 3 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

FIRST QUARTER

It didn’t take long for Ridgway to get into the swing of things on Saturday, with the midfielder acclimating well to his usual role through the middle. The wet conditions made things tough for most, but Ridgway was robust at the contest and looked strong over the ball.

With opponents often right on his hammer, he competed at the bottom of packs and wasn’t afraid to absorb contact. When wrapped up, he did well on a few occasions to keep his hands free and flick out handballs to keep the play moving.

Ridgway also rotated forward and got involved in a couple of scoring chains. His fumble recovery in the pocket and centring left-foot kick found Conor Gluyas in the hot spot, making for a direct goal assist to cap off the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

The second was just about Ridgway’s busiest term, as he began to lean on his gut running to find more ball in attacking phases. The teen’s accumulation factor and work ethic could not be faulted, though his end product going inside 50 was not always sharp.

While Ridgway seemed to make a concerted effort to lower his eyes when kicking to forwards, he was sometimes caught in two minds and stuck the ball between a pair of options. That didn’t stop him from notching up another goal assist though, this time going long to James Dutton.

Similar indecision applied to some of his uncontested possessions, though Ridgway had less time to find trouble when situated at the contest. There, he continued to release runners by hand as opponents tried to drag him down. Overall, a solid and busy half.

THIRD QUARTER

Coming out of the main break, Ridgway slowed a touch in term three but made a late impact on the back of his work rate. Though much of his running in transition went unrewarded, the Bays skipper continued to get on his bike and provide an option in all phases of play.

His ball use by foot was also a touch more polished, particularly on a long and wide kick from the top of defensive 50 to the wing. On the day, he used both feet when necessary and tended to follow up each possession to demand another.

FOURTH QUARTER

The theme of giving and getting followed Ridgway into the fourth quarter, where he looked for one-two chains on several occasions. He did so despite a few fumbles, swooping on loose balls and working with his teammates to surge the ball forward.

Even in the final stanza, it was Ridgway’s hard running which kept him involved in the play away from stoppage. He worked up to a game-high 31 disposals to complete a strong return to SANFL Under 18 action, having also recently being named in the state squad.

>> 2023 South Australia Under 18 squad

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Ridgway has long established himself as a top SANFL Under 18s player by now, and looks like carrying on the strong bottom-age form which saw him touted highly coming into 2023. He can hardly be faulted for character, boasting leadership quality and a terrific work ethic.

The latter translates on-field, where Ridgway stays in the game by running harder than many others. He can chain possessions by hand and streams forward in transition to be the one delivering the final kick inside 50.

That final kick is something he can clearly work on to elevate his game. Given he’s so solid on the inside, things like finding exits and being more damaging by foot on the outer will make him a more desirable prospect – the same applies to his scoreboard impact.