Ben Paton

Ben Paton (born 19 October 1998) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Ben Paton
Paton playing for St Kilda in August 2018
Personal information
Nickname(s) Pato[1]
Date of birth (1998-10-19) 19 October 1998
Original team(s) Mitta United (TDFL)
Draft No. 46, 2017 national draft
Debut 10 August 2018, St Kilda
vs. Essendon, at Docklands Stadium
Height 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 77 kg (170 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current club St Kilda
Number 33
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2018– St Kilda 16 (4)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2019.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Paton is from Tallangatta.[2] In 2015, he played 18 games in the Tallangatta & District Football League for Mitta United aged 16, winning their best and fairest.[3] Paton played for the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup in 2016, and was in their losing grand final team. He also played for North Albury. Although eligible for the 2016 AFL draft, Paton was not invited to the AFL Draft Combine that year. In 2017, he returned to the Bushrangers and moved from the midfield to defence. Paton played for Vic Country in the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships and was selected in the All-Australian side. He played two games in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Collingwood. Paton tested at the 2017 AFL Draft Combine, recording the second-best running vertical jump of 99 centimetres (39 in). He also recorded the third-best standing vertical jump of 80 centimetres (31 in) and the sixth-best 20 m (66 ft) sprint with a time of 2.95 seconds.[4] Paton was recruited by St Kilda with pick 46 in the 2017 national draft.[3]

In 2018, Paton played for St Kilda's VFL affiliate Sandringham.[5] He suffered a thumb injury in a practice match against the Northern Blues; he was expected to miss about six weeks.[6] Paton was named as an emergency 10 times before he was selected in the senior side against Essendon in round 21.[5] On debut, he kicked one goal from a set shot. Coach Alan Richardson praised Paton after the match for his speed and foot skills.[7] He signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him at St Kilda until 2020, after playing the remaining two matches of the season.[8]

Paton's father Steve played 190 games for North Albury and captained the club for six seasons.[4]

References
  1. "Ben Paton". www.saints.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. Gabelich, Josh (29 November 2017). "Paton shuffles backwards to springboard forwards". saints.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. Gabelich, Josh (24 November 2017). "2017 NAB AFL Draft Pick No. 46: Ben Paton". saints.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  4. Waterworth, Ben (29 October 2017). "AFL draft 2017: Career-changing switch to defence keeps Ben Paton's AFL career alive". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  5. Ryan, Michael (9 October 2018). "Paton earns debut". saints.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. Navaratnam, Dinny (7 March 2018). "Injury-prone Saint on the mend after surgery". afl.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. Ryan, Michael (11 October 2018). "Pierce, Ross fight on". saints.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  8. Black, Sarah (15 October 2018). "Saints extend young duo with new deals". afl.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

Ben Paton's profile on the official website of the St Kilda Football Club

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