OVERVIEW

Ben Jarvis is a medium tall who played majority of football as a forward with often a need to play as a second ruckman. Jarvis has progressed quickly in the last year, and the Rostrevor College student took his game to a higher level in 2018, and was rewarded with a selection in SA’s 2018 National Championship winning team. He was selected mainly as a medium tall forward and consistently hit the scoreboard.

Jarvis has a sense and knack for finding goals, and managed seven majors from his four games in the Championships showing his ability in the forward 50. He proved to be a solid mark overhead and plays taller than his height suggests, but also has good pace and ground ball skills to find the loose ball. He also played in the ruck at times around the ground and despite being undersized compared to others, his leap and competitiveness helped him in this role, and gave him exposure around more contests.

Jarvis mainly played College football and in the Norwood Under 18s at SANFL level in 2018, not being able to break into the SANFL Reserves side which is a very experienced team. Jarvis was always productive in SANFL U18 games, finishing with nine goals from 11 games, and played both forward and ruck. Jarvis' ability to take a contested mark at Under 18 level was evident and he often would use his height and leap to take the contested ball in the air. His ruck work during the year certainly improved and at 188cm would still manage to give his midfielders first use around the ground. In fact, later in the year he shouldered the first ruck duties at Norwood.

STRENGTHS

• Contested Marking
• Goal sense
• Speed
• Agility
• Vertical leap

Jarvis has clear forward traits in contested marking and ability around goal. This is his greatest strength and he can be most damaging in the forward 50m arc. He managed whilst in the ruck position to often act as an extra midfielder due to his size. Jarvis also showed he had the engine to run out games in this role, especially towards the end of the SANFL U18 season. He has good speed for a taller player and excellent agility. He showed this at the National Draft Combine where he clocked up a time of 8.308 seconds to be ranked in the top 10. He also had an impressive standing vertical leap, and showed why he had rucked despite being undersized.

For Jarvis' size he is certainly able to play taller than his height, and 77kg frame might suggest. He clunks marks strongly and averaged almost one contested mark per game at the National Under 18 Championships. He also uses the ball fairly well, hitting up targets 67 per cent of the time, averaging 12 touches per game.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Consolidating a best position
• Forward pressure

Jarvis can improve like other young players in the pressure applied within his teams forward half as he has good speed and agility to lay more tackles and cause turnovers. He can mark the ball well and with a settling of his best position show his true ability. He is undersized for ruck work, but in the modern game has shown he can play this role if needed, and then roll into another ground ball winner. It would be nice to see him in defence as his marking ability would be a great strength and enable him to turn into a swingman type player.

DRAFT PROJECTION: 50+

SUMMARY

Ben Jarvis is a strong mark who plays tall for his size, with surprising speed for his height. He is always dangerous around goal and consistently finds himself in the right spots in the forward line to hit the scoreboard. His engine has improved in played long periods on the ball and no doubt enhanced his ability to work to contests and get involve. An exciting prospect and whose varied roles at Under 18s level could be likened to an “Adelaide Tom Lynch” type forward or “Shaun Grigg type ruckman/midfielder”.