Speaking to NMFC.com.au, Kangaroos' development coach Josh Drummond was impressed with form of the left-footer.
“He’s got a great attitude to his football," Drummond said.
“To come back and play with a bunch of guys who you’ve only said hello to once before is tough.
“Ben played as an inside midfielder and as the game wore on he became more comfortable. When we had a run-on in the last quarter he got his hands on the ball a fair bit.”
On a windy day at Eureka Stadium, the Roosters lost by nine-points against Casey, despite fighting back from 40-points down at the final change.
The majority of the North-listed players mirrored the rest of the team; quiet early before coming to life in the final quarter.
Ben Mabon made his return after missing one game, coming up against Melbourne-listed ruckman Max Gawn.
“Mabes started a bit sluggish but as the game wore on he got himself into it a little more. Gawn is a very big unit so he was battling for position for the majority of the afternoon, but did OK.”
Aaron Black and Tom Curran both struggled to have an influence down forward, Drummond pointing out the disposal going inside 50 ‘wasn’t great'.
With the two forwards being North Ballarat’s focal points, it’s a tough balancing act between working on the way they play together.
“We don’t want to promote them being a partnership at VFL level because obviously we want them to play AFL,” Drummond added.
“But they’ve shown some signs they can play well together, so there’s something to work with.”
After his impressive game against Collingwood, Brad McKenzie started well on a wing before struggling to impose himself over the four quarters.
Both Mitch Wilkins and Max Warren were quiet in the season opener, but Drummond was pleased with the pair's impact against the Scorpions.
“Mitch took a step forward with his defensive mindset and locking down an opponent. Even though he’s got a way to go to become a consistent two-way player, he did quite a few good things today.
“After last week we spoke to Max about fixing the lapses of concentration in his game. It was a real focus today and for the most part he responded well and was much improved.”
Luke Delaney had the big task of playing on up-and-coming Demon Jesse Hogan, with the forward arguably taking the points with four goals.
As he continues to regain match fitness after an interrupted pre-season, Cam Richardson was a solid performer and worked into the game after a slow start.
North Ballarat 2.5.17, 4.7.31, 7.11.53, 12.14.86
Casey Scorpions 2.7.19, 10.11.71, 13.12.90, 13.17.95
Goals
North Ballarat: Clifton 3, George 2, Driscoll, Black, Jacobs, Darmody, Schache, Searl, Rippon
Casey Scorpions: Hogan 4, Smith 2, Pollard, Best, Taggert, Strauss, Barry, Blease, Page
Best
North Ballarat: Clifton, George, Sewell, Keeble, Driscoll, Jacobs
Casey Scorpions: Hogan, Gawn, Nicholls, Strauss, Panozza, Kent
