Ben Lennon

Early life and junior football

Lennon first played football at Under 9 level, at his local club Macleod.

In 2012 Lennon began playing with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup. During the 2013 TAC Cup season Lennon had a season average of 24.7 disposals and 7.1 marks per game. He also kicked 10 goals in his seven matches for the season.

Lennon represented Victorian Metropolitan sides at many stages of his junior career including at Under 12, 15, 16 and 17 level. He represented the Victorian Metro region at the 2013 AFL Under 18 Championships, winning All-Australian selection for his performances. In 2013 he was also a member of the AIS-AFL Academy program. As part of the program he participated in a number of training sessions with the Richmond Football Club senior side in January 2013.

Prior to the end of year AFL draft, media reports emerged suggesting he was a sought-after player by clubs including Brisbane Lions, Collingwood and Richmond. Lennon was termed a "gun prospect" by AFL Media draft expert Callum Twomey in a feature article published on the AFL website in November 2013.

AFL career

Lennon was drafted by Richmond with the club's first pick and the twelfth pick overall in the 2013 AFL National Draft. Following the draft Richmond recruiting manager Francis Jackson labelled him "an outstanding mark for his size" and "a constant threat overhead." Jackson also lauded Lennon for his kicking skills and decision making prowess.

Lennon's first season as a Richmond player was interrupted in February 2014, when a knee injury he sustained at training required surgery. Following his recovery he resumed his 2014 preparation by playing matches in the club's reserves side in the VFL. He made his league debut in Round 9 of the 2014 season, in a match against Melbourne at the MCG. Lennon started the match as the Richmond substitute and was not brought into the game until the third quarter. Within seconds of entering the game, Lennon scored a goal for Richmond, becoming one of a select few players to have scored a goal with his first career kick. He finished the match with an equal-team-high two goals. He would play the next four matches in the club's AFL side, before being dropped from the Round 14 side to play Sydney. Lennon returned to the senior side in matches in Rounds 21 and 22 before again being dropped from the Round 23 side. He finished the season having played seven matches and having kicked two goals.

Lennon struggled to gain AFL team selection in the early part of his second season. He played first in Round 5 but struggled to make an impact, recording just three disposals in the match. He was dropped the following week and did not return to the club's AFL side until Round 16, 2015. He impressed on that occasion however, recording an equal game-high three goals in the match. He played the next seven consecutive games, including a Round 20 match against Gold Coast where he recorded 22 disposals. In Round 22 Lennon Lennon gained a nomination for the 2015 AFL Rising Star award after a 26 disposal and nine mark performance in Richmond's win against Essendon. Despite his fine form, Lennon was dropped from the club's side to play North Melbourne in a first round elimination final. He finished the season having played nine matches and recording averages of 11.7 disposals and 4.9 marks per game. At the end of the season Lennon became the subject of media interest after efforts to strike a new contract with Richmond stalled. Reports suggest he was attracting interest from other clubs, most notably from Carlton. He was eventually re-signed by Richmond, in a two year deal struck on 15 October.

In the 2016 pre-season Lennon was struck by a bout of glandular fever. At the time he was recovering from minor hip surgery underwent at the conclusion of the previous season. As a result of the injury and illness he missed the club's pre-season training camp and faced a limited work load for much of the early part of the year. He played in the club's senior side in Rounds 3 and 4 before being dropped from the side the following week. He struggled to gain senior selection in later weeks due to two concussions suffered in VFL matches. In May he suffed an AC joint injury during a club training session. The resulting surgery forced him to miss a further six weeks of matches at all levels. He was again injured in July, with an ankle injury suffered in a VFL match keeping him out a further three weeks. Lennon played just one more match that season, in Round 21 against Geelong. In three his three matches that season he recorded averages of 11.7 disposals and 6.3 marks per game. On the back of a third successive season of disappointment Lennon reportedly requested a trade in late August 2016. He later revealed coach Damien Hardwick has suggested it would be beneficial to Lennon's career to seek options elsewhere. Despite this Lennon would stay put, with interest from other club's reportedly minimal.

Lennon hired a private sprint coach ahead of the 2017 season, hoping to increase his fitness base and press for selection in 2017.

Lennon remains contracted to Richmond until at least the end of the 2017 season.

Statistics

Personal life

Lennon was born to parents Stephen and Lesley. He has two sisters, Kara and Grace. Lennon's sister Grace is a professional golfer.

During the 2014 pre-season period Lennon starred in an AFL Media documentary called Draft Days. The documentary follows the progress of three players who are childhood friends and striving to be a part of the AFL draft. The other players are Jack Billings drafted by St Kilda and Luke McDonald drafted by North Melbourne.