Ben Lennon wants to establish himself as a Richmond player after requesting a tradeMichael Warner,
Herald Sun
January 2, 2017 BEN Lennon requested a trade out of Richmond at the end of the season, but the phone never rang.
For a first-round draft pick once rated higher than his TAC Cup teammate Marcus Bontempelli, it was a sobering experience.
“It was a weird time,” Lennon, 21, reflected this week.
“I was away with (teammate) Kamdyn McIntosh in America and I was always thinking about it — where am I going to be?
“My manager (Anthony McConville) rang me up and said: ‘Look mate, it’s not looking likely that you’ll be able to go’.
“I sort of thought, I better get my head around this. It might be a little bit awkward.”
Injuries and a bout of glandular fever haven’t helped, but Lennon is the first to admit his AFL journey so far hasn’t been what he expected.
“I didn’t think that it would pan out the way it has,” he says.
“But all good sportsmen go through hard things ... so I’ve got to look at it like that and work as hard as I can to hopefully become the player that I think I can be.”
Lennon’s talent has never been questioned, but rival recruiters did query his work ethic.
He’s managed just 19 senior games across three seasons on the Tigers’ list.
Some hard truths were delivered when Lennon met coach Damien Hardwick for his end-of-season exit interview.
“We sat down and he just sort of said that he thought it might be a good idea if I look elsewhere, like he thinks I’ll be a player but, you know, if you think it’s in your best interests to look around, then try and do that,” Lennon said.
It sort of just clicked that if I don’t do something about my career, it’s going to be gone.
- Ben Lennon
“I knew that it might be a good option to look elsewhere, but ... hearing it from the head coach that you might not be in the plan is initially a bit hard to take.
“I remember just asking him where did I best suit the team? It’s not that he couldn’t give me an answer, it’s just that I felt like I might be able to get a better opportunity at a different club.”
It wasn’t the first time Hardwick had delivered tough news.
After stringing together eight consecutive games, including a three-goal return against St Kilda, Lennon was dropped unexpectedly for the 2014 elimination final against North Melbourne.
“I guess it does look like a part of the pattern — I’ve had a few ups and downs since I’ve been here,” he says.
Was that the lowest moment of his career?“I think so — I played eight or nine games in a row and it would have been the biggest game I would have played in.
“Thinking you are going to be playing and all of a sudden you are in the stands — it was a pretty hard time.”
But with just one season left on his contract, Lennon gives the impression the penny has dropped.
He hired a private sprint coach after the trade period fiasco and returned to the club in the best shape of his life.
“Over the break, especially when I didn’t get a trade, it sort of just clicked that if I don’t do something about my career, it’s going to be gone,” he says.
“This is as good as I’ve felt in the four years that I’ve been the club ... and my mindset has helped as well.”
The only thing I can do now is work as hard as I can and play the footy that the club probably expects.
- Ben Lennon
He’s struck up a bond with returned assistant coach Justin Leppitsch.
“I tend to think about things a lot and he’s just told me to just play the game and play on instincts,” he says of the former Brisbane coach.
“He reckons I’ve got the talent and that if I can work hard on my deficiencies and let my strengths do the talking, I’ll be right.
“It gives me good confidence that someone up above — along with Dimma — is hopefully going to back me in.”
Does he have doubts?“I don’t think it’s doubts, it’s more frustration in that I haven’t been able to show what I can do.
“But at times I do sort of think, ‘Oh s---, I should be starting to put some games together’.
“The coach got into contact with me (after the trade period) and just said he will do everything he can to make me a player and gave me confidence that I’m still a required player.
“The only thing I can do now is work as hard as I can and play the footy that the club probably expects.”
The sudden departure of Chris Yarran was another eye-opener.
“It definitely puts life into perspective,” Lennon says.
“It’s never easy seeing someone give away the game, especially someone like Chris, who is so talented and plays such good footy when he’s up and about.
“It was tough and I guess we don’t know the extent of everything he was going through.
“He was a pretty private person — it was hard because you didn’t know whether to put your arm around him or just let him work it out himself.
“That’s one of the things we have identified that we need to get better at — telling people when you are struggling — because everyone can relate to it at a footy club.”
Lennon has been training as a high half-forward, pinch-hitting in the midfield, and says the arrival of new players like Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia has changed the dynamic.
“Without any disrespect to people who were here last year, it just feels like the vibe around the club is really good,” he says.
“We’ve got a young list and that just gives you excitement.”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/ben-lennon-wants-to-establish-himself-as-a-richmond-player-after-requesting-a-trade/news-story/76c51b374b5b19df8f0926cb32015452
