Patience of a Fun kBen Miller reflects on his road to Richmond and what it took for him to become a consistent AFL footballer.
By Henry Milic, Richmond Media
3 hrs ago
They say that patience is a virtue.
For Ben Miller, patient is exactly what he had to be to get his chance at the elite level.
It took Miller four years in the system before he ever stepped foot on an AFL field.
Since then, the 25-year-old has transformed into one of the league’s best lock-down defenders.
Hailing from Lamington in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Miller grew up playing footy socially with his mates up until Under 16s when he was selected for WA’s State Team.
“I grew up there (Kalgoorlie) for 18 years and lived my best life there growing up as a kid, especially in a town where everyone is so close,” Miller said.
“All your friends are right around the corner from you, and you play footy with your mates every week and even on the weekends and throughout the week as well.
“I played a bit of football and basketball growing up, just casually and by Under 16s, I was lucky enough to get selected in a couple of State Squads, which is where it started to get a little bit more serious.”
With a future in football becoming more of a reality than a pipe dream, Miller admitted he was still in shock when Richmond called out his name in the 2017 draft.
“It was pretty crazy, I went into the draft thinking that I was not much of a chance to get picked up or anything like that, I didn’t have any high expectations of myself,” Miller said.
“I was lucky enough to get picked at pick 63, and it was a bit of a shock to me and my family, but I’m forever grateful for it.”
However, it wasn’t a straightforward path for Miller, as he navigated moving his life from Kalgoorlie to the bright lights of Melbourne, all whilst trying to prove himself on the field.
“It was a bit crazy. I was lucky enough that when I did move over, I got to live with Nathan Broad and Brendon Ellis up in their house in Moonee Ponds, so that was a bit of a stepping stone for me,” Miller said.
“They helped me settle in well, so I enjoyed that part of things.
“After Christmas, I moved into a host family, and they took me in for eight or nine months, and my partner also moved over in February."
Miller paid his dues in Richmond’s reserve side early on in his career, where he picked up a VFL premiership in 2019.
Slowly forging himself into an AFL footballer, his hopes of making a debut at senior level were interrupted by the uncertainty of a global pandemic.
“I didn’t play a game (of AFL football) for my first four years, up until the last round of my fourth year,” Miller said.
“I went up to the hub in 2020. Training sessions were a bit gruesome, going up there when there aren’t many people.
“The nine vs nine scratch matches we had were tough going, but I think any footy is better than no footy.”
During his three-year tenure in the VFL, the 198cm defender used his time to sharpen his craft by learning from Richmond’s premiership defenders Dylan Grimes, Alex Rance and David Astbury.
“I’d like to think, especially throughout that time, that I had the best defenders in the game, in Rancey, Dave Astbury and Grimesy playing AFL and doing well,” Miller said.
“I think I got to learn from the absolute best coming into the system for the first four years.
“They taught me a lot, although I didn’t get to play within the first four years, I think I bided my time well and then eventually got my opportunity."
Finally, after four years in the making, Miller answered the call.
However, his much-anticipated debut in Round 23 of 2021 was made right in the thick of a global pandemic, meaning he ran out to an empty MCG.
“I didn’t have any crowd and my family wasn’t allowed to be there for the jumper presentation or anything either, so it was a bit unfortunate that my parents and my brother and partner couldn’t be a part of it, but it is what it is,” Miller said.
“We ended up drawing in that game as well, so I didn’t win, and I didn’t lose.”
Since then, Miller has gone on to play 62 games in the yellow and black and has played in all 19 games this season.
Across those 19 games, Miller has kept some of the league’s best forwards to a goal or less and held them to no more than 10 disposals.
Miller's four-game record against key forwardsR4 vs Brisbane - Eric Hipwood, 8 disposals and a goal
R9 vs West Coast - Jake Waterman, 10 disposals and a goal
R12 vs GWS - Jesse Hogan, 8 disposals and no goals
R15 vs Aaron Naughton, 8 disposals and one goal
Miller also ranks second in the league in most defensive one-on-one contests involved in.
Playing a key role at full back, Miller emphasised the importance of winning or halving those one-on-one contests to give his side the best chance of success.
“I think as a big guy, those one-on-ones to win are important. We aren’t all about the wins, we like to half them, and I just try my best not to be beaten,” Miller said.
“If I do my craft right, then I’m lucky enough to win some of them.”
Humble off the field but competitive on, the number 12 Tiger gave credit to the work of his fellow backmen, and defensive coach Steve Morris, for their support.
A point of focus for Miller and the back six is to build upon their consistency as they play out the final five games of the season.
“I have had some good games, but it’s not just me who is out there playing the good games, it’s the other back five that help me out there,” Miller admitted.
“Steve Morris keeps me to have high expectations of myself, and the biggest thing we are struggling with at the moment is just consistency, week in, week out.
“It’s a big focus at the moment, just trying to stay consistent and stick to my role.
“As a team, we are going out there every week, and we are trying our best, and we are fighting every week. As long as we can play a consistent four quarters of footy, I think that’s what the team will be happy with.”
Miller also reflected on how being a dad outside of football keeps him grounded.
“I have a three-year-old and a one-year-old, so they always keep me on my toes, especially when I get home from a long day at work,” Miller said.
“Coming off a loss some weeks throughout the year and waking up the next day, footy isn’t everything. I still have to be a dad the next day, and I still have to put a smile on my face.
“They keep me well grounded.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1826238/patience-of-a-stuff
